You all need to read this article!!! It pretty much explains how Kings Island has been tossed around like a red headed step-child. Kings Island hasn't been owned by a company that really cared about the park other than what money it was bringing in since the original owners. The only reason Paramount owns the park is because it came with the package deal that Viacom acquired.

Since ONLY the parks are being sold this time, who ever the buyer is will want to be in the amusement/theme park business. When they think about spending money on the park, bean counters will probably not be involved near as much. They will want to see the park be all it can be.

In conclusion, yes the park will be bought as an investment. BUT it won't be packaged together with other companies that have nothing to do with the amusement/theme park business. That being said, I think Kings Island being sold this is wonderful!

http://www.ketupa.net/taft.htm

Paramount Parks/KECO has always been into the TV/Movie industry. That is the problem, every major theme park chain in the US except for Cedar Fair and Busch-SeaWorld has roots in the motion picture industry(I wonder why).

TV/Movies are not good for theme parks unless you are Disney or Universial. Paramount/Viacom/CBS will/is our downfall right now. We need to get away from the TV/Movie industry.

AMEN BROTHER! I think this deal is what we are looking for!

You all need to read this article!!!  It pretty much explains how Kings Island has been tossed around like a red headed step-child.  Kings Island hasn't been owned by a company that really cared about the park other than what money it was bringing in since the original owners.  The only reason Paramount owns the park is because it came with the package deal that Viacom acquired. 

Since ONLY the parks are being sold this time, who ever the buyer is will want to be in the amusement/theme park business.  When they think about spending money on the park, bean counters will probably not be involved near as much.  They will want to see the park be all it can be.

In conclusion, yes the park will be bought as an investment. BUT it won't be packaged together with other companies that have nothing to do with the amusement/theme park business.  That being said, I think Kings Island being sold this is wonderful!

http://www.ketupa.net/taft.htm

I apparently didn't get the same information out of this article as you did. (Which seems to me to be more a history of Taft Broadcasting than anything else...)

I'm not sure where you're getting that the park won't be bought by an entity with interests outside of theme parks...if any of the major investment holding companies being mentioned (KKR, Morgan Stanley, Texas Pacific, Madison Dearborn, Boston Ventures, Blackstone, etc.) end up as the buyer, they all have a wide range of interests that include lots of things other than theme parks. (And, those guys invented bean counting )

As a point of clarification on the article, yes it's true that Viacom only ended up with the parks because they came as part of the Paramount Communications acquisition (1994?), but Paramount Communications had actually sought out the theme park business as an area for strategic growth with their purchase of KECO in 1992.

I wouldn't be counting my theme park blessings yet.

We don't even know who the buyer will be, or even if the sale will go through.

And things can always get worse, often much worse.

I remember many enthusiasts were DELIGHTED when TimeWarner sold out to Tierco, which became Premier Parks. Though many grand coasters were built by Premier/Six Flags, you will find few who think the parks themselves and their service, food and entertainment improved after TimeWarner sold out.

I hope and pray this deal is good for the park but only time will tell