Oct 17, 2005 · 40 min
CR
Society & Culture
Coaster Radio: The Original Theme Park Podcast
Mike Collins and E.B.
A weekly podcast dedicated to theme parks, roller coasters and thrill rides.
During each show, we talk about the total theme park experience. We'll have interviews with the people making decisions at your favorite park, reviews and ratings of the newest rides and attractions, discussion about everyday park experiences and chances to win tickets and merchandise from parks around the country!
- 864 episodes
- Updated Friday
Episodes864
- CROct 10, 2005 · 18 min
CoasterRadio.com #122 - Live From Fear Fest at Paramount's Kings Island
This week, we had originally planned to bring you an on-location show from Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. It was going to be the first broadcast in our month long CoasterRadio.com Halloween Terror Tour. But it was raining so hard on Saturday that we and Busch Gardens decided it was best for the show (and our equipment) to postpone until next week. But luckily, Kevin and Beth (our correspondents from Ohio) and our friends at the Single Serving of Coke Podcast got a chance to visit Fear Fest at Paramount's Kings Island this weekend. Kevin brought along his iRiver mp3 recorder and recorded this week's show at PKI's Festhaus. Kevin, Beth, Anthony, Coke, Mary and Buddy talked about the atmosphere at the park, reviewed some of the most popular attractions and previewed the upcoming Winterfest Celebration. After the show, join us in our forums to talk about your opinions. You can also record your thoughts on the CoasterRadio.com Voicemail Line at 206-339-RIDE (206-339-7433). Stay tuned, because next week we're recording the show live at Busch Gardens Williamsburg's annual Halloween event - Howl-O-Scream! We'll tell you all about the haunted attractions and shows as well as talk with park guests about the event. Thanks for listening to the show. Let us know what you think by e-mailing us at feedback@coasterradio.com.
- CROct 2, 2005 · 11 min
CoasterRadio.com #121 - Coaster Clones
Have you ever been riding on a roller coaster for the first time and sworn that you've ridden it before? It probably wasn't deja vu (the feeling, not the coaster). Most likely, you were riding an exact duplicate of a roller coaster from another park. You were probably riding a coaster clone. (Actually, the roller coaster Deja Vu is a coaster clone!) Sometimes if a theme park or a ride designer has a proven coaster design on their hands, it's less expensive for the parks to build more of the same instead of paying for new design. The general public hardly cares, but the important question is... do theme park enthusiasts care? After the show, join us in our forums to talk about your opinions. You can also record your thoughts on the CoasterRadio.com Voicemail Line at 206-339-RIDE (206-339-7433). Stay tuned, because next week we're recording the show live at Busch Gardens Williamsburg's annual Halloween event - Howl-O-Scream! We'll tell you all about the haunted attractions and shows as well as talk with park guests about the event. Thanks for listening to the show. Let us know what you think by e-mailing us at feedback@coasterradio.com.
- CRSep 25, 2005 · 10 min
CoasterRadio.com #120 - Theme Park Dating
Theme parks are a great place for families and friends to get together and have a good time. They're fun, loud, colorful and exciting. But are they romantic? This week, we'll talk about whether or not theme parks are a good place to start up a romantic relationship. When you think about it, there are plenty of similarities between a theme park trip and an average date. Instead of having awkward conversation over dinner, you can have awkward conversation while standing in a line. Instead of holding hands while watching the latest thriller from Wes Craven, you can hold hands while you ride the latest thriller from B and M. (OK, that was totally lame. But you get my drift.) After the show, join us in our forums to talk about your opinions. You can also record your thoughts on the CoasterRadio.com Voicemail Line at 206-339-RIDE (206-339-7433). Stay tuned, because we're planning some really great shows in October. We plan on celebrating Halloween in style with some on-location shows from some of the best Halloween events. Thanks for listening to the show. Let us know what you think by e-mailing us at feedback@coasterradio.com.
- CRSep 18, 2005 · 14 min
CoasterRadio.com #119 - HOT or NOT
For our first 10-minute show of the Fall, we're going to talk about what's HOT and what's NOT as we finish the 2005 season and head into 2006. As E.B. said during the pre-show, we're lazy. If you'll remember, we didn't plan on doing new, weekly shows during the off-season. So, the topic for this show began when one of our listeners posted a message about it in the CoasterRadio.com Forums. Hey, there is some nobility to actually admitting that we're lazy? Right? Actually, we do throw a lot into the show this week. We'll add our own spin to each of the topics and share a few stories too. After the show, join us in our forums to talk about your thoughts. You can also record your thoughts on the CoasterRadio.com Voicemail Line at 206-339-RIDE (206-339-7433). Thanks for listening to our first show of the off-season. Let us know what you think by e-mailing us at feedback@coasterradio.com.
- CRSep 4, 2005 · 1 hr
CoasterRadio.com #118 - The 2005 CoasterRadio.com Awards
Labor Day signals the end of summer, the beginning of school and the close of the theme park season. But before we start to pack away our t-shirts and shorts and pull out our jeans and sweaters, it's time for one last summer celebration. This week, we present the 2005 CoasterRadio.com Awards! Over the past month, thousands of CoasterRadio.com listeners have been voting for their favorite parks and attractions. On this week's show, we'll announce the winners in the following categories: Best Theme Park or Amusement ParkPark That Cares Most About Their GuestsBest Theme Park CompanyBest Steel Roller CoasterBest Wooden Roller CoasterBest Dark RideBest Water RideBest New Attraction for 2005Most Attractive ParkBest WaterparkBest New Waterpark Attraction for 2005Park with The Best FoodBest Park OperationsFavorite Moment from CoasterRadio.comFavorite Guest Featured On CoasterRadio.com After the awards, join us in our forums to talk about your thoughts on who won and who should have won. You can also record your thoughts on the CoasterRadio.com Voicemail Line at 206-339-RIDE (206-339-7433).
- CRAug 28, 2005 · 40 min
CoasterRadio.com #117 - Listener Controlled Show
As we wind down the 2005 Summer Theme Park Season, we wanted to do something special for the thousands of you who listen each week. We decided to put you in charge of this week's show. Over the past few months, we've received hundredsof e-mails and forum postings from listeners all over the world who want us to talk about specific topics. Since there isn't time to get to all of them during our regular podcasts, we decided that we would use the show before our summer season finale to answer as many as we could. This week, we'll answer your e-mails about Cedar Point, looping water slides, on-ride video replacing on-ride photos, smoke-free parks, and annoying park guests. We'll also answer some of your questions about the show itself. Have you ever wanted to know the types of things E.B. says that eventually get cut out of the final show? Well, this might be the show where we tell you. We'll also give you some behind the scenes info about how the podcast is created. Next week is our Summer Season Finale. We'll be presenting the 2005 CoasterRadio.com Awards! It will be a star-studded event live from the CoasterRadio.com Amphitheater in Washington, DC. By the way, some of you have asked if we will be going away and not producing new shows during the fall and winter. That was the plan originally, but now we're all set to produce one regular show a month and then produce shorter 5-to-10 minute shows during the other weeks. We're planning on getting a lot of input from our listeners to make those shows interesting. So we hope to hear from you though e-mail, through our forums and on the CoasterRadio.com Voicemail Line at 206-339-RIDE (206-339-7433). Thanks for listening!
- CRAug 21, 2005 · 50 min
CoasterRadio.com #116 - Independent Parks
If you're a theme park enthusiast, you definitely know names like Disney, Universal, Six Flags, Paramount, Busch and Cedar Fair. They are the companies behind the major theme park chains in the United States. They also account for most of the profit made in the amusement park industry. However, when it comes to customer service, cleanliness and value, most of those parks can't compete with America's Independent Parks. There are dozens of family-owned parks that strive to give their guests a feeling of welcome and the knowledge that their park is a place people can call home. Parks like Kennywood, Knoebels, Indiana Beach, Lake Compounce and Holiday World are excellent examples of parks that are known throughout the world for their hospitality, attentive staff and a collection of rides that vary from classic to modern. On this week's show, we'll talk about many of these parks and how they differ from the corporate themers. We give specific details about prices, attractions and the unique aspects of each park. We'll also be joined by Will Koch, the president of Holiday World & Splashin' Safari in Santa Claus Indiana. Holiday World is recognized as an industry leader because of their innovations in hospitality and the overall guest experience. They shocked the amusement park industry a few years ago when they began giving way free soft drinks as part of the regular admission fee. They also are home to The Raven and The Legend, two of the top wooden roller coasters in the world. We'll talk with Will about the the family history of Holiday World, the secret behind its success, and we'll find out as much as we can about their new record-breaking wooden coaster for 2006 - The Voyage. We'll also tell you who won our SOUNDWAVE contest and we'll have another edition of Theme Park Trivia. Next week, we're putting you in charge of the show. Head to our dedicated forum topic to let us know what you want to hear. It's our way of saying thanks for listening to the show in 2005. Don't forget to vote in our 2005 CoasterRadio.com Awards!
- CRAug 15, 2005 · 39 min
CoasterRadio.com #115 - Orlando: Beyond The Mouse
Orlando, Florida is the theme park capital of the world. Millions and millions of tourists head there every year for their vacations, but most never venture away from Walt Disney World or Universal Studios to see what else the city has to offer. Most tourists never realize that Orlando is home to a bunch of other theme park and amusement facilities that offer alternative entertainment and big-time thrills; most often at a cheaper price than the big guys. On this week's show, we'll talk about some of our favorite Orlando attractions including Gatorland, Cypress Gardens, and Old Town's G-Force. We'll also be joined by Kelly Monaghan, the author of "Universal Orlando" and "The Other Orlando". He's visited every attraction there is in Orlando, so he knows more than the locals do! He'll tell us about some lesser-known attractions that don't show up on the average tourist's radar. We'll also give away another clue in our SOUNDWAVE contest and we'll have an Orlando-inspired version of Theme Park Trivia. Thanks for listening to CoasterRadio.com!
- CRAug 1, 2005 · 32 min
CoasterRadio.com #114 - Live from Paramount's Kings Dominion
This week, CoasterRadio.com broadcasts live from International Street at Paramount's Kings Dominion. If you've listened to our show for any amount of time, you already know that Kings Dominion is our home park. This year, they're celebrating their 30th Anniversary. So, we'll spend some time talking about our favorite rides and memories from PKD's past 30 years. We'll be joined by Sarah Lovejoy, PKD's Public Relations Operations Manager. She'll help us out as we talk about some of Kings Dominions' most well known roller coasters and thrill rides such as Volcano: The Blast Coaster, Flight of Fear, Grizzly, Drop Zone, Rebel Yell, Hypersonic XLC and even some oldies like King Cobra. We'll also spend some time reviewing their new attraction for 2005, Tomb Raider: Firefall. This floorless Top Spin from HUSS is further enhanced by some amazing fire, water and music effects. But will it impress the CoasterRadio.com team? We'll also review the new "School of Rock" show. We've always said that shows are a waste of good riding time, but we'll make an exception to check this out. Especially if the band is going to play "Hot for Teacher" by Van Halen. No one has guessed correctly in our latest SOUNDWAVE contest yet, so we'll add another prize to the pack and give away another clue. We'll also play Theme Park Trivia and see if the guys can answer a Kings Dominion related question. There won't be a new show next week. The whole team will betaking the week off to spend time with family and friends. But, we'll be back on Monday, August 12th with a brand new show. Until then, you can visit the CoasterRadio.com Forum to talk with the CoasterRadio.com guys and other listeners from around the world. Thanks for listening!
- CRJul 24, 2005 · 35 min
CoasterRadio.com #113 - European Theme Parks
When we first started CoasterRadio.com, we had no idea that people from all around the world would listen. We've been making friends with people in the UK, Germany, France, Denmark, Austria and other countries throughout Europe. So, even though we don't know a lot about Europe, we're going to do our best to devote this week's show to European Theme Parks. To help us out, Robb from Theme Park Review.com will be joining us. Robb, along with his wife Elissa and a bunch of their friends just got back from a three week tour of European Parks. They visited 25 parks in 8 different countries. Robb will tell us about some of the unique attractions that are featured in European parks and how they compare to ones in the US. He'll also talk about how the atmosphere of their parks helps to make sure everyone has a good time. We'll also give another clue in our on-going SOUNDWAVE contest. We're in week three and no one has correctly guessed the roller coaster yet. We'll also have a chance for one of our listeners to win a Tomb Raider: Firefall Prize Pack in our Theme Park Trivia segment. Speaking of Paramount's Kings Dominion, we'll be there next Saturday, July 30th for a special taping of CoasterRadio.com. We'll be there to celebrate their 30th anniversary, check out their new attractions and try to get the dirt on what new attraction they'll be building in 2006. Thanks for listening! We'll see you in the CoasterRadio.com Forum!
- CRJul 16, 2005 · 36 min
CoasterRadio.com #112 - Disneyland's 50th Anniversary
Fifty years ago on July 17th, 1955...history was made. Even if you're only a casual fan of theme parks, this is the week to pay tribute to a man who had enough imagination to turn a California Orange Grove into "The Happiest Place on Earth". This week, CoasterRadio.com celebrates Disneyland's 50th Anniversary and pays tribute to it's founder, Walt Disney. To help us celebrate, we'll be joined by Eric Jacobson, Senior Vice President of Creative Development for Walt Disney Imagineering. Eric is responsible for directing project teams developing ideas, design, content, art direction and area development for the Disneyland Resort in California, as well as the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney-MGM Studios, sports and recreation, and other entertainment venues at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Most recently, his teams have focused on many attractions opening as part of the "Happiest Celebration on Earth" for Disneyland's 50th anniversary. Eric's creative leadership has shaped numerous projects, including Stitch's Great Escape, Mickey's PhilharMagic, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. In addition, he has equally influenced development of many additional projects for Walt Disney World Resort. Also on the show this week... our "Great Debate" segment will ask - what is the greatest Disney theme park attraction of all time? You can get into the debate by visiting our on-line forums. We'll also have another clue for the SOUNDWAVE contest and we'll play a special Disney-related version of Theme Park Trivia. It's all coming up on this week's special episode of CoasterRadio.com.
- CRJul 9, 2005 · 35 min
CoasterRadio.com #111 - Waterparks
We're not sure what the weather's like where you are, but here in Washington, DC... IT'S HOT! So, what better way to cool off than with a CoasterRadio.com all about waterparks. Back in the day, waterparks had nothing to offer but a few tame waterslides and maybe a lazy river. Today, waterpark designers are coming up with attractions that go higher and faster than ever before. Today's water rides blast you upwards, send you spinning around in circles and give you experiences that weren't available 10 years ago. On this week's show, we'll talk about some of the new attractions that can be found in waterparks in 2005. We'll talk about water coasters that blast you uphill. We'll talk about wave pools that pump out continuous 8 foot waves. We'll talk about the new "bowl" slides that are sweeping the nation. We'll even talk about a device called a "Flow Rider" that lets riders surf on a continuous stream of water. We'll also talk with Rick Root from the World Waterpark Association. Rick's organization works with over 1,100 waterparks around the world. He'll give us the inside scoop on some of the new technologies developed to make water attractions more thrilling. Plus, we'll have another edition of Theme Park Trivia where one of our listeners will have a chance to win a Tomb Raider: Firefall Adventure Pack courtesy of Paramount's Kings Dominion. We'll also bring back our SOUNDWAVE contest and give you guys a chance to win a bunch of cool prizes by guessing a roller coaster only by the sound it makes. Also, we're unveiling two new features on our website this week. The first is something called The Coaster Radio Network. We're inviting webmasters who run theme park related websites to join the network to share content and promotion. Secondly, we're beta testing the CoasterRadio.com Forums. Many of you have been asking for ways to interact with one another. So, even though we said we'd NEVER have message boards on CoasterRadio.com, we're caving in to your pressure. So, now that they're up, you'd better start posting! If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for the show, e-mail us at feedback@coasterradio.com. Thanks for listening to CoasterRadio.com.
- CRJul 2, 2005 · 30 min
CoasterRadio.com #110 - 4th of July
The 4th of July is a special time in America.It signifies the middle of summer. Of course, it also means that the theme park season is in full swing! Join us as we celebrate this classic summer holiday by shooting off some of the very lame "legal" fireworks that you can buy in the state of Virginia. Of course, we'll also have discussion about theme parks. We'll talk about how one county in Maryland is offering free rickets to Six Flags America in exchange for people turning in their illegal fireworks. We'll also feature some more Backyard Thrill Rides and we'll unveil the CoasterRadio.com Ultimate Theme Park Road Trip Music Mix! Plus, we'll talk with Dan Adams of ign.com. Dan recently reviewed Atari's Roller Coaster Tycoon 3: Soaked Expansion Pack. Many people had problems running the first version of RCT3. Dan will tell us whether this new expansion is worth buying. Next week's show is all about waterparks! If you have a funny story about your last waterpark experience, e-mail us at feedback@coasterradio.com! Thanks for listening to CoasterRadio.com!
- CRJun 24, 2005 · 31 min
CoasterRadio.com #109 - Theme Park Employees
Think about the last time you visited a theme park. If it was a good trip, what made it memorable? If it was a bad trip, what made it terrible? Whatever type of trip you had, odds are it was affected by the employees at the park. Think about it! Were there long lines at your favorite roller coaster because the trains weren't being loaded fast enough? Or were the lines constantly moving because the ride crew was challenging themselves to move as many people through the ride per hour as possible? Was the park clean and safe or dirty and sketchy? Was the food fresh and fast or stale and slow? All of these aspects of a theme park generally depend on the park's employees or "cast members". On this week's CoasterRadio.com, we're going to pay tribute to these hard working people by sharing stories that many of them have been sending in over the past few months. We'll also share our own stories of both good and bad cast members that we have met during our theme park trips. We'll also play another round of Theme Park Trivia. We'll give one of our listeners a chance to win a Tomb Raider: Firefall Adventure Pack from Paramount's Kings Dominion. It's all coming up this week on CoasterRadio.com!
- CRJun 20, 2005 · 34 min
CoasterRadio.com #108 - Backyard Thrill Rides
When you were a kid, did you ever dream of building a theme park in your own backyard? Maybe you turned an old wagon or a Big Wheel into the roller coaster of your dreams? This week on CoasterRadio.com, we'll be taking a look at three very different thrill rides that have been built in backyards across the world. We'll talk about a guy in Germany who has created his very own log flume. We'll also talk about The Blue Flash, a looping, steel roller coaster that was built by a gentleman in Indiana. But, one of our favorites is the 444-foot backyard wooden coaster built by Jeremy Reid. Jeremy was an engineering student at the University of Oklahoma and decided to use his knowledge of physics and mathematics to build his own coaster. After graduating from college, Jeremy worked for Arrow Dynamics before they merged with S&S. Today, Jeremy works as an engineer at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. We'll have him on the show to find out all about his coaster and why he wanted to build it in the first place. We'll also talk about the recent down-time of Six Flags Great Adventure's Kingda Ka. Plus, we'll get into a brief discussion about whether or not there is a need for federal oversight of the amusement industry. We'll also play Theme Park Trivia and give one of our listeners a chance to win a Tomb Raider: Firefall Adventure Pack from Paramount's Kings Dominion. We'll also have a phone call from our first "celebrity" listener. It's all coming up this week on CoasterRadio.com!
- CRJun 6, 2005 · 32 min
CoasterRadio.com #107 - Live From Dorney Park
This week, we took the show on the road and set up our broadcast at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, PA. We got a chance to record our broadcast right in front of Dorney Park's new floorless roller coaster, Hydra: The Revenge. On this week's show, we'll review the ride and give you our thoughts about the park's other attractions. We'll also talk with park guests to get their reactions to Hydra. Because Hydra replaced another coaster at Dorney Park, that inspired us to talk about other rides and attractions that have been dismantled. What rides do people miss and what rides are people happy to see sent off to the scrap heap? Also, what can you do when it rains at a theme park? The CoasterRadio.com team has some answers. Plus, we'll play our first game of Theme Park Trivia with a guest from Dorney Park. This week's question has to do with a well known film that was shot in the park. Will you know which movie it was? It's all coming up this week on CoasterRadio.com!
- CRMay 29, 2005 · 33 min
CoasterRadio.com #106 - Memorial Day BBQ
We've been working really hard on the show since it premiered six weeks ago. We've taken two road trips - one to Busch Gardens Williamsburg and one to Six Flags Great Adventure. We've also been hard at work recruiting new correspondents from all over the world. If that wasn't enough, we've also been hard at work developing new content and ideas for the CoasterRadio.com website. So, we decided to take it easy this week and celebrate the kickoff of summer by inviting our family and friends over for an outdoor barbeque. We'll spend this week's show answering questions and comments that you've sent though our e-mail at feedback@coasterradio.com. We'll wrap up some of the topics we have covered during the past several shows including theme park modesty and theme park road trips. We'll also play some sound clips that we have found of people riding the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster, Kingda Ka. It's amazing to listen in to someone riding it for the first time. It's a good thing we're resting this week, because next week we're back on the road at Dorney Park! The entire CoasterRadio.com crew will be there on Saturday, June 4th to record our next show. We'll be set up right in front of Dorney Park's new floorless roller coaster, Hydra: The Revenge. If you're in the area, be sure to stop by and say hello.
- CRMay 22, 2005 · 42 min
CoasterRadio.com #105 - Kingda Ka Media Day
This week, we broadcast from the Media Day of the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster - Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure! Join us as we talk with park officials, engineers and coaster enthusiasts about the new ride. We'll also give you our review and let you know if it's worth traveling from your hometown for a ride. We'll also put a wireless microphone on E.B so you can hear exactly what it sounds like as he gets launched from 0 to 128 mph in 3.8 seconds and then travels up and over a 456 foot tower. Maybe, just maybe, you'll hear some profanity. (You've been warned.) We'll also tell you all about Great Adventure's new land, The Golden Kingdom. Also, as if one media event weren't enough, we'll check in with our Florida Correspondent, Will, who will report from the media day of Busch Gardens Tampa's new "Dive Coaster" ShieKra! We'll ask Will if the new roller coaster from B and M lives up to the hype. It's all coming up on this week's CoasterRadio.com!
- CRMay 15, 2005 · 40 min
CoasterRadio.com #104 - Conspiracies, Road Trips and Modesty
Anytime you visit a theme park message board on the internet, you're bound to run into "Conspiracy Theories" about your favorite park or ride. People post the most outrageous claims and it's difficult to figure out what's true and what's not. For instance, is your favorite roller coaster going to be torn down because it's sinking into the ground?