CoasterRadio.com: The Original Theme Park Podcast

This is a preview of our new daily podcast, Theme Park News from CoasterRadio.com! This is the weekend edition for Friday, September 6th. If you like what you hear, head to http://news.coasterradio.com to subscribe as a podcast or as a Flash Briefing on your in-home smart speaker.

We've always said that the listeners are the heart and soul of the show. So, we're turning this episode over to them entirely. Listeners wrote in on Twitter, Facebook, E-mail and Reddit to tell us what they want to hear on this week's show. Frankly, some of the requests are pretty weird. But, believe it or not, there is a lot of great theme park, thrill ride and roller coaster talk... including commentary on all of the recent announcements made by Six Flags about their 2020 announcements!

The amusement industry is often about size.  Things are BIG! For some of the exclusive experiences at the parks, the price tags are BIG as well. This week, we'll talk about the rumored pricing for the "Star Wars Hotel" that's set to open in a few years at Walt Disney World.  Would you pay a (rumored) $1,100 a day to stay in a (virtual) cruise ship that travels through space? We'll also take a look at a new CNN article that chronicles the "scariest" drops on roller coasters throughout the world.

This week, we recorded a "real-time" episode of the show. Kings Island was getting set to make their 2020 attraction announcement at exactly 10pm.  So, we started our show 30 minutes earlier and podcasted in anticipation of what was to come! You'll hear our "real-time" reactions and commentary as Kings Island's GM Michael Koontz takes the stage to announce what they will be building on the former site of Firehawk? Will it be a GIGA?  Or will it be a GIGA DISAPPOINTMENT?

This week's show is dedicated to the unsung heroes of the theme park experience... the brave men and women who work at the parks. Whether you call them Cast Members, Team Members or Employees, the people who work at the parks are the ones who determine if you're gonna have a good day. Many of our listeners who have worked at the park have stepped forward with hilarious stories from their days as park employees.. and yes, there are great stories about vomit and boobs.

EB is on vacation this week. Instead of going dark, we decided that we would still have a NEW EPISODE for you.  But the episode you'll hear is from someone else's show. Last April, Mike and EB were guests on "The Lisa Valentine Clark."  It's a nationally syndicated talk show that can be heard of Sirius/XM Satellite radio. The guys were interviewed about CoasterRadio.com and their thoughts on the theme park and amusement industry.

This week's show starts out with a story that apparently is common at the parks.  A Disney Cast Member was punched in the face by a guest over an invalid FastPass.  We'll talk about what happened and what parks can do about it. Then, we'll wrap up the debrief from our California Trip.  We'll have stories from Knotts Berry Farm and EB's strange visit to some truly bizare places in Los Angeles!

On this week's episode, EB tells us all about his VIP Experience at Universal Studios Hollywood.  He'll talk about what it was like to receive the "red carpet" treatment and how his experience differed from a normal guest. Then, we guys talk about their visit to Disneyland, including their first ever look at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. They'll have a full review of Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run and details on all of the immersive shops and character interactions.

We have returned from the west coast! We're ready to tell you all about our trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain including our reviews of all of their major rides and attractions. After that, we have two reviews of Maxx Force at Six Flags Great America! During one of the reviews, you can hear the loud BOOM of the air compressed launch. We'll also talk about the biggest news stories of the week, including the family brawl at Disneyland.

The Listener Meet-up is finally here! On this week's show, we podcast from the Gearworks Theater at Six Flags Magic Mountain in front of a LIVE AUDIENCE of CoasterRadio.com listeners. We'll talk about our morning Exclusive Ride Time on "Twisted Colossus" and "Scream." Plus, we'll get advice from SoCal locals on what we should ride and what we should avoid. Plus, we'll hear about Mike and EB's trips to Universal Studios Hollywood and Disneyland for "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge!"

Our 2019 event "Magic Mountain Magical Friday" is coming up on June 21st! On this week's episode, we preview that event, including everything that is scheduled to happen that day! We also talk about the other places we'll visit during our trip to the West Coast... Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Disney California Adventure and of course... Star Wars: galaxy's Edge!

We've all heard of coasters like "Fury 325" and "Millennium Force." They get talked about and debated constantly. But what about the fantastic rides out there that never get mentioned in passionate discussions on social media or theme park podcasts? On this week's show, we talk about the most Under-Rated Coasters and why they should receive more respect.

There is a lot of "behind-the-scenes" prep happening as we get ready for "Magic Mountain Magical Friday: An All Inclusive VIP Event!" (We're only two weeks away!) But there is a ton of news to talk about from all over the amusement industry! Plus, we find out if any of our listeners made a correct guess in our latest "Soundwave" contest!

We normally do four shows a month, so this is a BONUS episode of CoasterRadio.com! We talk about the news of the week, give some updates on the "Magic Mountain Magical Friday" event on June 21st, give the first clue in our new Soundwave Contest and hear from an ANGRY fan of Six Flags who has a warning for us. 

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is easily the biggest theme park story of 2019. (It might be the biggest theme park story ever.) One of our listeners got a chance to experience the entire land before it opened to the public.  He ate in the restaurants, shopped in the stores and rode "Smuggler's Run." He'll tell us what he saw and if the new land is as impressive as we all hope.