CoasterBuzz Podcast #81 - July 16, 2007

Jeff, Pat and special guest Rick Munarriz from The Motley Fool review this week's news in the amusement industry.

• We welcome Rick to explain what the NY Post article could really mean for Cedar Fair.
• Rick first gives a basic explanation of what a private equity firm is.
• How many times EBITDA is too much to pay for a company?
• While the Post article mentions retaining management in a buy-out, it's not a realistic condition of a sale.
• Cedar Fair's quarterly results tend to show stagnation on a same-park basis. Rick thinks that if the company really is looking to sell, it's an admission that the Paramount acquisition isn't going that well so far.
• Where did the 25 cent cotton candy go?
• Jeff needs to complain some more about food pricing, while Gonch says it's not all that bad.
• Rick says his point in saying Disney would be a good buyer is that it would give them a regional marketing position they don't have now.
• Wild West World files for bankruptcy already, and clearly didn't consider start up costs to run it for several years.
• There's opposition to Disneyland's fight against low income housing, but what real chance does it stand?
• The Columbus Zoo picks a terrible name for the former Wyandot Lake.
• Lawsuit filed for Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, and we'll probably never know how it ends.
• Jeff is annoyed by "journalists" who write stupid columns.