paramountfan

Before Paramount, the park shared the local 398 prefix. 754 came along a few years after Paramount bought the park. So before the 754 prefix, it was the other Mason prefix 573. However, I do believe when I first started at the park in 1989 the phone number started with 398 so I'm going to say I'm still right and that you just expanded on what I said before! I am inclined to agree with you. CBS did make a mess of things for sure. I will always be partial to Paramount Communications/Viacom's ownership of the parks. I am a little bias, I suppose. LOL However, I will say that they could have done so much more with them. Just my opinion.

Your welcome everyone. My personal favorite was Karen and Al on the Skycoaster. LOL That was great. I rememeber that day fondly. I was down there close to Carolyn and I did not get the "life should always be this good" joke until afterwards. Ha ha!

Hello everyone: I wanted to post these videos from my personal collection for the KI Central community. I am in the process of uploading the rest, so be patient and I will post them as quickly as youtube will upload them. Enjoy! Rod

Thanks for your response, Indyguy4KI. Yeah, I saw that in the news release. I was just curious because most of the exhibits are traveling ones I do believe. Aren't these guys the same ones that did the dino thing at the Musuem Center in Cincy? The press release states the following:

I just saw the announcement today and I had to drop in on KICentral to get the opinion of my favorite online community. He he. It seems kind of like a mixed bag. Personally, I can understand the economics of having an attraction like this. Not everyone likes thrill rides and this attraction provides another outlet for family entertainment. HOWEVER, I think that is a bad move for Kings Island. Other dino-themed attractions like Universal's "Jurassic Park" raft ride have set the bar pretty high in the terms of special effects and theming. I know that this attraction is a walk-through and it may not be "fair" to compare the two. However, let's be honest. Cedar Fair does not have a great reputation when it comes to theming rides and attractions, as they are not a theme park. I just hope that they step up to the plate. This new attraction can go one of two ways - it could be fun or it could be really cheesy. Let's just hope it’s not the latter. Oh one more thing, is this attraction going to be permanent or is it just a traveling exhibit type thing? BTW, the 5.00 up charge doesn't bother me. I personally think that it is a "fair" price.

Agreed. I used to work for their office in Charlotte, so I guess I have to be bias! We had brainwashing meetings. Ha ha!

Paramount, definately. However, Paramount in the early years. From the purchase of the parks in August 1992 til Viacom split.

Thanks for posting this. I am usually one of the outside performers from WV with Quasi and the other queens. Hope to see all of you there this year! www.myspace.com/tammyfaysinclair

I am so sick of looking at these things. LOL In West Virginia and elsewhere in the region, they are EVERYWHERE! Interesting science lesson for you.. that particular cicada is a female. They have a lil thing on their tails to deposit eggs into trees. The males have white on the thorax, which is what amplies the sound you hear. The sound is caused by the legs tho. And, yes it is their mating. Give or take, another 2 to 3 weeks and they will be gone for most of the region. Gotta love biology class! And btw, its safe for your pets to eat them. In fact, many people in other countries eat them and they for some reason think it is quite tasty. When I was in the Middle East, they would roast them and dip them in a honey sauce. I will stick with Kentucky Fried Chicken. LOL

Ya know, this story cracks me up. That poor old train at Camden Park is so slow that a senior citizen riding a turtle could pass it. I would love to know how he could not get out of the way in time. I know that sounds so mean, but seriously. I would think that it would have to be gross neglegence on his behalf.

Thank you! Hauntguy, I dont know you personally, but I do know you seem to know your stuff. Hardly original, indeed.

Shows are a nice addition (cough, cough)... but I, for one, would not base my decision to visit from far away just because Kings Island has new shows. If I wanted shows, I would travel elsewhere. Granted the shows are good for the non thrill seekers, but *most* people visit theme/amusement parks for more than shows. (cough) It's called a balance. (cough, cough) Please show your statistics that "most" people visit theme/amusement parks for thrill rides, alone. (cough) I will gladly you show some statistics. According to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, the number one reason people visit and revisit amusement and theme parks is the rides. 49% of adult visitors come to the parks for the rides (granted not as high as I thought it would be), 15% come for the shows, 12% prefer the special events and festivals, 6% seek the characters, and 6% come for the midway games, (IAAPA, 2004). (Cough, cough, and yes I know these stats are from 2004) 2008 is the year to appease those 15%. With that said, I do think that the entertainment had suffered during the CBS years, and the live shows are a great place to relax. All I am saying, this is the first year in a long time that Kings Island has not had a new product. For those people that live far away, I am afraid that many will skip their visit this year and hold off until next season. Time will certainly tell.

Shows are a nice addition (cough, cough)... but I, for one, would not base my decision to visit from far away just because Kings Island has new shows. If I wanted shows, I would travel elsewhere. Granted the shows are good for the non thrill seekers, but *most* people visit theme/amusement parks for more than shows. (cough)

While I am excited about a new ride program for "The Crypt", I HATE the new themeing. Looks very amatuer, and I would expect more. For those of you that have worked designing a haunt attraction during Halloween, I am sure you can understand how crappy the demon statues look with a black tripod stuck up their butts? Then, get some cheap looking spiders and throw them around and you got it! Sad.. Then there are the ridiculous names for some of the attractions. I understand that it takes a lot to name the attractions because of possible conflicts with copyright issues, but still.. I think Cedar Fair could have spent some more time brainstorming. Finally, I am a bit nettled that there is nothing new at Kings Island this year besides new paint, new signs, more trashcans, and cheap rubber spiders. I am pleased about the construction going on, however. Hopelly, next year will be cool. The only snaps I will give Cedar Fair is the park looks cleaner. I will say that so far, I am VERY disappointed. I do not think that Kings Island will be in my travel plans this year. Wooo I wonder how many people I will made mad with this post?

Yes, I am aware. Thus the reason I said "known as Top Gun" and not just "Top Gun" .

I just wanted to comment here. Now, I will admit that I am a fan of the movie tie-in at the park. Hopefully none of you throw tomatoes at me! ROFL Paramount Communications course bought the park in 1992, but the plans were already slated for the coaster known as Top Gun. I am not totally sure on this, but I would guess that Days of Thunder was also in the works with KECO, since it made its debut at a few of the sister parks in 1993. However, the themeing and overall look of the park can be credited to the Paramount ownership. When Viacom bought Paramount Communications, nothing really changed as far as things go. The only thing that really is notable that changed is the opportunity to bring in the Viacom brands into the park, such as Nickelodeon (1995) and Showtime (1996). Very litte changed as far as the management is concerned. Granted I think Viacom could have had better marketing, taking better advantage of their popular brands. I think they realized this little too late. I always wondered why they didnt take advantage of the Star Trek brand, it being one of the most popular Paramount brands. They did have the romaning characters at one point, but they were removed once the Star Trek Experience opened in Vegas. In my personal opinion, I think they eventually realized they flaws and they tried to rectify it with their "Best of Hollywood Entertainment" marketing campaign and taking advantage of some of their more popular brands, such as Star Trek at Carowinds. Over the past few years (as I am sure many of you are aware) the Parks have been of little importance and eventually became excess baggage when Viacom finally split and CBS Corporation took control. Personally, I think the Parks should have remained with the new Viacom, and the marketing potentials probably would have continued to increase. Have you ever had an old pair of shoes that you just kept because you didnt want to get rid of them? You kept them because they were yours, but didnt really take good care of them. That, in my opinion, is what the parks where to CBS. As much as I hate to admit it, they probably did the right thing in their sale to Cedar Fair, whose primary focus is the amusement park business. Still, I think that Viacom made stupid decisions. Just my opinion.

Ok now here is another question. He wasnt with the company at the time of School of Rock. Does anyone know who produced that show? I didnt know if it was done in house because by this time they were doing a lot of outsourcing.. any help would be appreciated.

Thank you so much! I appreciate that. I could not remember his name.. I kept thinking it was Peter Popoff but then I realized thats one of them late night televangelists. ROFL Thanks again man.

Hey everyone! Do any of you remember the name of the guy who was one of the music composers for Paramount Parks? He is the one who composed the music for Tomb Raider and Flight of Fear. I cant remember his name for the life of me. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Below is the complete brochure: http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/hun...05/scan0006.jpg Front cover/page 1 http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/hun...05/scan0009.jpg page 2 http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/hun...05/scan0007.jpg page 3 http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/hun...05/scan0010.jpg page 4 http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/hun...05/scan0011.jpg page 5 http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/hun...05/scan0012.jpg page 6 http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/hun...05/scan0013.jpg Back cover/page 7 http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/hun...05/scan0008.jpg Also I will note the information arrived today in a Paramount's Kings Island label on the manilla envelope (guess they are using them all up).. Anyways.. enjoy!

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/hun...05/scan0006.jpg Front of brochure http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i162/hun...05/scan0008.jpg Back of brochure

You can obtain a printed bark brochure by calling the Sales and Service Center toll free at 1-800-288-0808. There is no charge for the information. In addition to the brochure, they can provide you with a list of hotels, and a letter explaining group rates (if you need that information). To my understanding, they may post the brochure on the website as well (like Carowinds). My guess is that (as in years past) the brochure layout will be similar to all of the parks, but that is just my opinion. Course, I think that all Cedar Fair logos and designs all look similar in style, but thats just me. Hope this helps!

Hello everyone! Just thought I would let you all know that the 2007 rack brochure arrived at the park yesterday and is currently available. If you have requested a brochure and have been on the waiting list, you should hear something shortly. The Park maps will not likely come in until closer to late March, but of course the website is usually updated with that information before the actual printed matter comes out. Regards and best wishes for a great season!