http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/16/arts/Six-Flags.php

It seems sort of ironic then that the only character SF has actually invented ("Mr. Six"), Shapiro killed off...

I think of a lot of Shapiro's ideas for re-engineering the theme park business model are really brilliant & promising...like the whole idea of the "out of home" advertising model (in effect, basically envisioning the theme park as some sort of 3D experiential "broadcast".)

However, this whole "content" company idea has some problems. First off, Disney has the creative expertise in house to build and develop character franchises from the ground up, and they spend millions of dollars and years doing so. With SF's current financial state, how can they throw those kind of resources at content development?

Secondly, Disney not only has the creative expertise to create these franchises, they also control the distribution channels (ABC, Disney Channel, ESPN, other cable channels, movie distribution, video games, multiple print publications, etc.) to promote them. What does SF have besides the parks themselves to bring their content to the public? (That has to occur before the GP has any sort of "emotional attachment" to it as Shapiro mentioned...) You can really only expect to get so much out of the Dick Clark production company...

I don't know...the sceptic in me thinks this sounds more like a desperate idea to avoid paying licenses for known characters, than it does any sort of revitalization of Six Flags...

It seems sort of ironic then that the only character SF has actually invented ("Mr. Six"), Shapiro killed off...

I think of a lot of Shapiro's ideas for re-engineering the theme park business model are really brilliant & promising...like the whole idea of the "out of home" advertising model (in effect, basically envisioning the theme park as some sort of 3D experiential "broadcast".)

However, this whole "content" company idea has some problems. First off, Disney has the creative expertise in house to build and develop character franchises from the ground up, and they spend millions of dollars and years doing so. with SF's current financial state, how can they throw those kind of resources at content development?

Secondly, Disney not only has the creative expertise to create these franchises, they also control the distribution channels (ABC, Disney Channel, ESPN, other cable channels, movie distribution, video games, multiple print publications, etc.) to put them out in front of the public. What does SF have besides the parks themselves to bring their content to the public? (That has to occur before the GP has any sort of "emotional attachment" to it as Shapiro mentioned...) You can really only expect to get so much out of the Dick Clark production company...

I don't know...the sceptic in me thinks this sounds more like a desperate idea to avoid paying licenses for known characters, than it does any sort of revitalization of Six Flags...

I wuld have to agree.

The more I hear about SF's moves the more I think they really may not survive.

I am on the fence about all of this. Every time I think that Shapiro makes a bold, innovative and seemingly promising announcement, they company seems to fail to realize something or something odd happens to them. Like JZarley said, the company is in debt, and their credit rating is in the crapper, it will be very hard to create fun lovable characters and get a quick Return on Investment without paying through the nose. Though it definitely can be done on the cheap over time. Take the "Critter Gang" from LeSourdsville lake for instance, or Pirates of The Caribbean at Disney World...the latter for one was obviously a solid attraction before becoming one of the highest grossing film series of the last century. It can be done...but I don't see the funds they would need to propagate such an idea.

I don't think the investors do either, as the stock price reflects the conscious of the investors.

A great Stock analyst Dr. Bob Froehlich once told me, "The stock price will go where the earnings go"....Do the math!

Though it definitely can be done on the cheap over time. Take the "Critter Gang" from LeSourdsville lake for instance, or Pirates of The Caribbean at Disney World...the latter for one was obviously a solid attraction before becoming one of the highest grossing film series of the last century.

Of course, back in the 60s when "Pirates" was introduced, Walt could do one story telling episode about a ride on Sunday night and easily hit a 30 or 40 share of the market. With the media channels so much wider today, that's really difficult to do when you don't control distribution channels.

Another example of your points might be the dog character at Holiday World (what's his name..."Holidog"?) Although, the fact that I can't actually remember his name maybe he's not such a good example after all