How about a peninsula-wide radio station...

That's nothing compared to any concert or even many teenagers' cars' volume. Do your ears actually ring? If they'd play some really good music, I'd stand right in front of the speakers and mosh.

...interesting, Rob....

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MF count: 23

*** This post was edited by CP_bound on 2/3/2002. ***

P>ONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fff8e0">People forget the number one thing at Cedar Point, repition of the same Midway music every year for 6 years now...they should change that first, before focusing on ride DJs....its sad when 50% of CP employees can memorize the words to the music played over and over and over and over.../P>

Memorizing music isn't that hard...even if you don't want to, it would happen anyway.

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MF count: 23

The problem with the music in the queues is that someone decided to feed the entire queue with two large speakers. That's a pretty stupid idea. I know that in the Millennium Force queue in particular it's extremely uncomfortable when you're near the speakers, and I generally like it loud.

A better idea is to distribute speakers around the queue.

Duh.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

matt2003, those still are the employees that are getting the songs memorized. They're at the Point day in, and day out. The GP isn't at the Point at a daily basis, so they don't get the music memorized. And from what I've read, it's guest experience first, not employee.

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Tommy Penner -
http://coolforce.tycoonplanet.com - http://vx3k.cjb.net
"Yes. The Force is strong in that one."

Personally, I enjoyed the company of the music. Repeated or not. It's what helped to create the CP experience for me while working.

(re: Changing the midway music)
...And in case you haven't noticed, the midway music has changed several times in the past few years. I haven't heard that unusual version of "Blue Train" in ages...well, since they switched to the Sousa marches a couple of years ago...and now the marches are gone in favor of the loop that now plays...

(re: feeding the queues)
Jeff is absolutely correct. Using two speakers at the booth means that for the whole queue to hear it the sound has to be WAAAAAAAY TOO LOUD if you're anywhere near the speakers. A larger number of smaller speakers operated at a much lower volume would give adequate coverage and would not force people to shout to talk with one another. Of course, more speakers would REQUIRE a lower volume level because of propogation effects unless delay lines were used, which seems needlessly complex.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Actually, when talking to people, many people don't like CP becuase of the long waits.  (of course these are the people who haven't been in years, and don't realize the increased capacity lately)  In reguards to the radio station, if more entertainment was brought to the queues, you could attract these sorts of people to the park, therefore, generating profit for the park.

The idea I proposed last summer was more along the lines of this..

The park is hard wired for sound with a second area in the back of the park ranging from the trail to the RR crossing at Gemini. Put a hardwired "radio" staion on the main midway. With a glass front so people can see it.

Heck.. even allow people to request songs somehow if they want to (this of course leads to the never ending problem of "Why can't you play Eminem 'So I ***** your mother.' it's a cool tune". Some people...

You could even put in a very low level FM for the hotels. Would be possible for first thing in the morning.. Any "so and so will be down today" announcements so people could plan around it. Also allows for a good amount of "Make sure to catch Horray for Hollywood at the Centenial Theater. Next show starts at blah blah" kinda things.

Neat idea?? yes.. possible?? yes.. profit making? possibly, less DJ's needed. Less equiptment needed. Instead of a setup at all the major rides, only one setup needed. Also less people needed to run.

If the system goes down, you still have the old system in backup.

Remember any of this Peggy???

Just my thoughts..
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VertiGo Rides - 82 (2001)
And looking forward to more!!!

Ya know, I must be going to CP on the wrong days.  I haven't seen a live DJ in any lines for more than 2 years, although I have seen the booths.  In fact, the last live DJ I recall was in the Raptor queue back in 1999

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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead

That is a really great idea Red Garter, that system could even be used for lost and found.  Sure CP's policy is if you lose you're child or whomever, walk to Lost Persons, but in a park as big as CP, and with all the visitors, that is becoming more of a problem.  Losing someone.  Very easy too.  It wouldn't be a public paging system, but instead like public service announcements.....?  I like the system at PKI.  Except I never look at the TV monitors.  SO the perfect plan is take you're Park DJ's set them up the way you set them.  Then have little Information kiosks with a computer link to the DJ's.  This is a plus for CP, as it provides more guest conveniences....

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3rd shift trash(yuck) - 2001
Witches' Wheel triangle - 2002

The computer link is a little much if you ask me.. but a nice idea.

As far as the lost and found. Yeah for small kids I can see it being done but you don't want the system abused.

"Will the rest of the GTTP group please meet Dan at the enterance to Magnum? He's lost and can't find his group. Thank you, and enjoy your day here at Cedar Point"
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VertiGo Rides - 82 (2001)
And looking forward to more!!!

*** This post was edited by Red Garter Rob on 2/4/2002. ***

Everyone is requesting that there be live DJ's, but are also saying that the cost would be too much.  Huh?  For CP to have seperate DJ's as well as seperate music for each booth, the cost would be very close to the same.  After being in the radio business for many years I can honestly tell you that the more people that you have working, the more money you are going to spend.  The general public does not care if there are live people in the booth or not, they are happy as long as they hear the music they want.  CP could even sell small commercial spots, and companies would be lining up to be part of CP radio.  This is the best amusment park in the world.  I think that anything that can be done to seperate themselves from the rest of the pack would be more lucrative in the long run.

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...I will be more than happy to give you a cigarette...

Please no.. no commercials...

You have to realize.. with the exception of the low power FM.. Everything is already there to do the hard wired station. So it does nothing but save money..

But PLEASE, lets not turn this into a Six Flags where you walk around the park with monitors showing commercials.
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VertiGo Rides - 82 (2001)
And looking forward to more!!!

What Rob explained is basicly what I suggested, just a step further with specifics.

When I said having more live DJ's, that would only be from 2-6 hours a night depending on the hours of the day. Not many people expect to get to hear requested songs during the day, but at night, DJ's have contests, and do request shows. The system set up as a hard-wired system during the day would replace those DJ's for the first 10 hours or so. Also, having the DJ's available if the system ever went down is also a good point.

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MF count: 23

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Monster Ride Op said:
Jeff is right.  People prefer actual DJ's in the booths instead of a radio.  But alot of times there is no one in the booths.  And Mantis doesn't even have a booth, just a screen that is constantly covered and some speakers that plays the same thing every 4 hours.  So a radio station, or something like it, would work well.  Especially when the booth is empty.  And it would make a good replacment for the system in the Mantis que. 
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Ride Statistics:
Magnum: 10
MF: 4

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Maybe just one Dj in a main booth with ride waits &weather etc maybe some funfacts?

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Wicked Twister Rocks

Browntggrr: I can't disagree more. Live radio ain't what it used to be, sure, but it is generally true that people prefer music to personalities.

But that's radio. The live situation is a totally different animal (and one of the reasons that live jocks and radio jocks often suck at doing the other). You need that interaction to create a party atmosphere.

And the actual number of hours jocks work at CP is tiny in cost compared to operating the broadcast gear to make radio work. A bunch of consumer miniDisc players and PA's (what they use up there) are cheap and cost effective.

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Jeff
Webmaster/GTTP, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

Well, I would agree that the lost and found system would be abused.  Although I also don't like tv montors everywhere.  I figured that the CP-wide DJ or whomever, would announce the lost.  However with all conveniences three are inconveniences.  With the Queue line DJ's, loud music when stadning by the speakers.

Maybe honestly, the best system is a combination of all the ideas here....   Have both Queue DJ's and midway DJ's?  Probably no lost and found announcing.  I guess that would be kind of abused a lot.  Probably CP would start sounding like a county fair.

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3rd shift trash(yuck) - 2001
Witches' Wheel triangle - 2002

My dad works for North West Air and he works on the computers and there is this P.A at a ticket counter with a label.

"Is to be used profeshonally or you will be penaltied"

Gate 4 -South Bend Regional Airport

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Wicked Twister Rocks

I know I have been to several parks which have the ability to broadcast parkwide, but in almost every instance they have a policy that "in-park messaging" is not allowed. So CP could have such a system, just not use it for paging.