Mark Shapiro visits SFA...

[ChuckR]

Shapiro Outlines Plans for Six Flags on First Park Tour
Fate of the Chain's Largo Location Remains Unclear

By Krissah Williams
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, February 24, 2006; Page D04

As new Six Flags Inc. chief executive Mark Shapiro toured the desolate Largo theme park for the first time yesterday, he pointed to a yellow booth called Articature Cartoons, where caricatures of guests are drawn and sold.

"This does nothing. What does this do for your per capita?" Shapiro asked.

 Buy This Photo
Six Flags chief Mark Shapiro, left, tours the Largo amusement park with Terry W. Prather, its manager. (By Lois Raimondo -- The Washington Post)

Save & Share
Tag This Article


 Saving options
1. Save to description:
 Headline (required)
 Subheadline
 Byline

2. Save to notes (255 character max):
 Subheadline  Blurb  None
3. Tag This Article
 
"About 2 cents an hour," a park manager replied.

"Get this out of here," Shapiro said. "It's not a good value."

The hard-charging manager that Six Flags chairman and Washington Redskins owner Daniel M. Snyder picked to run the Six Flags parks came to Largo to lay out his plan for boosting revenue. He addressed about 100 employees inside the park's Crazy Horse Saloon.

Shapiro, who took the company's helm 36 days ago, energetically rallied employees, announced a plan to increase the number of seasonal employees by 400 to 2,000, and promised to add a daily parade and 30 costumed characters to the park.

But the two-hour staff meeting left unanswered the most pressing question: whether the Largo Six Flags will be sold when the company reviews a report assessing the value of its real estate holdings scheduled for release next month.

"This park has a great history," Shapiro said as he toured it. However, he added, "We have to look at it in terms of expenses."

Closures at the company's 30 parks will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, Shapiro said. The 115 acres beneath the Largo park are the most valuable in the company's portfolio; that land is worth $105 million, according to a 2005 assessment conducted by previous ownership.

Shapiro, a former ESPN programming executive who visited Walt Disney Co. theme parks six times last year, said he won't close any parks this season. His first mission is to draw more visitors, he said.

"We're not a theme park. We're an experience. It's only going to work if you're committed," he told employees, jabbing his pen in the air.

Shapiro painted himself as man in a hurry to implement change, as employees peppered him with questions.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/23/AR2006022301967.html

Another article about it...

Redskins Owner Attempting To Turn Six Flags Around
Snyder Bringing Changes To Theme Parks

POSTED: 5:54 pm EST February 23, 2006
UPDATED: 8:13 pm EST February 23, 2006

LARGO, Md. -- After a highly publicized battle, Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder took control of Six Flags Theme parks last year. Now, the businessman is on a quest to turn the franchise around.

Industry watchers said the chain is over $2 billion in debt. Since Snyder took control of Six Flags last summer, the stock market value of the parks has jumped by more than $360 million, according to the Washington Post.

One of the first things Snyder did was to name Mark Shapiro, a former executive with ESPN, as CEO of the theme park chain. Shapiro toured the Six Flags in Largo, Md., Thursday.

Shapiro's plans for the Largo theme park include keeping the teen appeal of roller coaster rides and adding more fun for families.

"Parades, fireworks, bring some animals, potentially, into the park. Shows, concerts, family rides, we have the water park here -- things that allow moms and dads to feel more attracted to it and bring the kids out for the day," said Shapiro.

The park banned smoking last month in a move to show it is serious about being more family-friendly.

"I don't think anyone wants there kids to be around smokers. So, we're going to do all we can to provide locations for those that have to smoke, that are addicted to the habit ? but we believe that our guests deserve to be in a smoke-free environment," said Terry Prather, general manager of the Largo Six Flags.

Officials said there are also plans under way to keep the parks open longer and later into the year.

This year, Six Flags will open on April 8. While there are no plans to build new rides this season, managers are promising that theme park goers will already notice the new family-friendly attitude.

http://www.nbc4.com/news/7376098/detail.html#