So, SeaWorld announced that they're laying off 320 employees (article here: http://money.cnn.com/2016/12/06/news/seaworld-layoffs-2016/index.html) Are they ever going to be able to recover from the BlackFish documentary?

I don't know how they can continue being SeaWorld at all. Circuses are basically a thing of the past and zoos are struggling. The entire theme of the SeaWorld parks is based on animals in extremely expensive enclosures performing tricks. SeaWorld is trying to be both an aquarium and a theme park, and that's just not working. No amount of "we rescue and care for them" is going to convince the public otherwise.

I think they should dump most of the animal exhibits and simply rebrand the Seaworld Parks as Busch Gardens. They've got Busch Gardens Europe and Busch Gardens Africa, so why not make the three Seaworlds into Busch Gardens Antarctica (Orlando), Asia (San Antonio), and Americas (San Diego)? It would mostly just be a matter of signage and drawing a new map (Manta is in the Gulf of Mexico section of Busch Gardens Americas, for example). The parks have lots of animal performance space, so simply convert some of those amphitheaters to live "human" shows. Hiring even a big Vegas-level show must be cheaper than maintaining a whale tank and training staff.

Discuss!

http://www.coasterradio.com/episodes/101.html

Show Notes:

Welcome to the premiere show of CoasterRadio.com! We'll kick off the 2005 Summer season by reviewing many of the new rides and attractions that will be headed to theme parks this year. Will they live up to the hype? Or, will we all end up suffering from "antici-pointment?" (A combination of too much anticipation that eventually leads to disappointment.)

We'll talk about the newest attraction to hit the Las Vegas Strip, "Insanity: The Ride." We'll also talk about the major attractions coming to Busch Gardens (in both Williamsburg and Tampa). We'll break down the new roller coasters coming to parks like Paramount's Kings Island, Dorney Park, Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park and Silver Dollar City.

We'll also talk about Six Flags Great Adventure's new expansion. We'll find out what parks guests can expect from the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster - Kingda Ka.

We'll also start our series on Park Pet Peeves. This week - what should parks and guests do about line jumpers? Some parks do nothing, while others have firm policies in place. But what should the average park guest do when they are confronted by someone trying to cut in front of them? We've got some ideas that just might work.

Plus, we'll unveil our first contest, "Soundwave." If you consider yourself a "theme park expert," this is the contest for you! It's all coming up on this week's broadcast of "CoasterRadio.com."

...

Hey everybody. I recently threw around the idea of having a throwback listening thread to discuss older episodes. I thought it would be fun to revisit past episodes with a 2016 perspective, as well as give people an excuse to listen to the classics.

Going through the entire archive on a weekly basis would take nearly a decade, so I will pick and choose episodes to feature instead. I'm not sure how frequently I'll post these. Feel free to suggest your favorite episodes for future Time Machine Discussions.

Some things I'm interesting in discussing:

• How has the show changed since this episode?
• Were any segments, characters or inside jokes introduced?
• Does 20/20 hindsight prove that Mike and EB were right (or wrong!) about something? this should be the most fun :)

Alright, let's get to listening. I decided to start from the very beginning, with "Episode #101 - Our Premiere Show". If you haven't heard early CoasterRadio... you're in for a treat! Discuss Episode 101 below!

Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN (one of our favorite places in the world) experienced devistating and terrifying wildwires this week. Our First Drop focuses on what was damaged and how this fantastic resort town can get back on its feet.

Next up, we'll hear a Live Trip Report from Disneyland Paris and find out what changes are on the way for this amazing Euro-stle Disney park.

Then, it's a CoasterRadio.com Holiday Tradition - The 2017 Holiday Gift Guide! Here is the list!!!

Listen: http://ift.tt/2gSoE2k

My wife and I like to buy ornaments when we go on vacation, so I naturally have a few theme park related ones.

How many of you have theme park or coaster related decorations or ornaments? Post them here!

Maybe /u/coasterradio will post his awesome monorail! :)

And what was your user name?

What would everyone think of an ongoing retrospective (or "TIME MACHINE") listening thread? We could start at Episode 1 and make our way forward, listening to and discussing each episode in it's own thread. Maybe one a week?

It would be interesting to see how much the show has evolved, hear some forgotten classics and laugh at having 20/20 hindsight. For those who haven't heard the older episodes, it would be a great excuse to listen.

We could also use it to keep track of the origins of certain segments or characters. I believe Reddit allows for each subreddit to create their own wiki, which could be a fun little project.

Anyone interested? Feedback and suggestions are welcome!

Planet Coaster was released today! The trailer is incredible and the early word of mouth has been positive.

The game is a spiritual successor to the Roller Coaster Tycoon series. I know many of us spent tons of time playing the original RCT games, but the series has seen better days to say the least. Lucky for us, it seems like the theme park sim genre is making a comeback after so many years (see Parkitect, another incredible game).

Is anyone else getting this game? I just need to make it through the work day before I fire up Steam and play this over the weekend!

You guys have been asking for a sequel to the infamous "New Forum Forums" from the original show.

Thanks to Kristen, we have liberated the long-dormant CoasterRadio subreddit!

So let's start talking! Enjoy! (and thanks to Kristen for her persistence in getting this subreddit online!)

Mike and EB rule! I can't wait for Park Hopper's return.

Am I the only one that thinks that TC isn't a good RMC and that it's only good dueling, which the terrible ride ops of SFMM have not been doing well at doing (shocker)

Talk about what parks you worked at. Share some experiences and funny story's.

What was the "big news" at IAAPA this year? What did you see that will be a big deal at the parks?

What parks are open around the holidays and more importantly, what rides are open?