Chatter

By Randy

April 5, 2007 7:36 AM | Link to this

No, I didn’t attempt to take advantages of the freebie… There’s no such thing as a free lunch… and the folks sitting in gridlock with carloads of kids that got turned away this morning (or told to come back at 9 and pay) are going to suffer a long time for this one.

By Carisa

April 5, 2007 7:41 AM | Link to this

I couldn’t get out of my subdivision at 6am because of this crap. They should ban these types of promotions that promote gridlock near residential areas.

By BG

April 5, 2007 7:41 AM | Link to this

In this town, if you give away something, two things will happen:

• They will rob you blind of the freebie (Airtran tickets from Wendy’s, anyone?)

• the company giving away the product will not be respected because of everyone trying to abuse the rules to get it

Besides, who in their right mind lets kids walk down the side of an interstate???

No parents in the lot, just mindless breeders…

By Southside Bum

April 5, 2007 7:41 AM | Link to this

I think that Q100 really screwed up on this one. They gave the impression that EVERYONE who arrived before 9:00 a.m. would be admitted free. And then we hear on the news that they “ran out of free tickets” at 5:55 a.m.

For the ones who made it in, this is a great thing. For the rest of the people, this will be a PR nightmare for Q100!

By jen

April 5, 2007 7:44 AM | Link to this

if the park is “at capacity”, what happens to all the church groups, schools, etc, that are scheduled to visit Six Flags today as part of their Spring Break? Will they be turned away? If so—- Six Flags and Q100 are going to have a nightmare on their hands with angry parents and students!

By freefall

April 5, 2007 7:50 AM | Link to this

Do this type of promotion on the weekend.

Six flags/Q100 should have to pay fines for creating this traffic mess.

By Bree

April 5, 2007 7:51 AM | Link to this

Very bad. Very bad!

I would hate to live in that area right now!!

I sat in traffic for a very long time this morning and the commute from downtown to 285 is usually very easy!

What a way to screw up traffic!

By Spartan Caver

April 5, 2007 7:54 AM | Link to this

Nightmare at Six Flags.

It is my sincere hope that you, Q100 have, A, learned your lesson, B, the authorities / public burn you to no end. Lesson that should be learned is, this community, Atlanta and greater Atlanta, will go rampaging for anything free. During your pre-planning meetings, a call to Underground Atlanta could have reveled that their “Free” fireworks and parade during the New Year’s Peachdrop brings out 125,000 people, and they don’t show up until 11:30. Calling Phillips Arena and Centennial Park folk would have also delivered the same information. Of course, no one thought to call me, an old time native Atlantan that has seen all this before. When the news of the free Six Flags Day came across my p.c. screen, my wife and I said, “Let’s leave town.” Freakfest, Dogwood Festival, before that, the Great Chattanooga River Race. the list goes on and on and on. Don’t ever do this again. Even a discount ticket would have netted you some publicity, without the crowded mess.

And “B”? Reckless behavior? This went out on the internet last week. Thousands of people that never even heard of Q100 had already heard of the Ditch Day. Heck, even I sent along the e-note I got to friends and family. I hope they don’t hold it against me. I will be laughing when the court date is announnced. If you are making post party plans, I suggest putting more attorneys on retainer.

Now about your radio personalities and their commentary from Six Flags. I am sitting here writing this as I listen in, for the first and probably only time. They are laughing about this. They are using words like amazing, astounding, phenomenal, and so on. Not words like disaster, mess, or troubling. The recent bus crash resulted in a traffic nightmare, but was both grievous, accidental. This Six Flags Roadblock is a man made disaster. Thousands of Atlantans are out on the interstate parking lot. Let’s just pick a figure out of thin air. 1000. That means that 1000 people who would have been at work half an hour ago. 1000 times 30 minutes means that your stunt has wasted 30,000 hours. Atlantans have lost 14 years of work – man hours, or 4 years of time.

What, besides announcing an apology, are you going to do now? Free Day at WhiteWater?

sincerely

Spartan Caver

By geque

April 5, 2007 7:57 AM | Link to this

Q100 + SixFlags = Idiots

By Clay

April 5, 2007 7:58 AM | Link to this

What a self-serving, total-disregard-for-the-community concept. How many businesses will suffer some financial consequences because of the people that did not make it to work on time to open the store? What will be the sum total of gas burned by all this traffic at a standstill? There really should be some accountability for such an ill conceived, irresposible action on Six Flags part…

By Harry

April 5, 2007 8:03 AM | Link to this

It’s a shame the genius who came up with this freebee won’t pay for the problems this mess has caused. They need to be stuck in gridlock like that not to mention all those going to WORK or passing through town caught up in that chaos. Can you hear the packed cars with kids crying and carrying on like lunatics when they don’t get in. Atlanta is too fast a growing city with the explosion in population for any business to try any kind of free promotion like that. The Interstate can’t handle that kind of disruption. It does a poor job under NORMAL circumstances daily. People are worse than herds of cattle getting to a feeding trough. They can’t see the problems that are created under the guise of anything being FREE. Nothing is free its who’s going to pay for it and sadly its the families who thought they could get a free ride or two at six flags not to mention the traveling public very sad!

By K

April 5, 2007 8:04 AM | Link to this

I loved the free highways this morning. Traffic out of Gwinnett county was great. And anyone trying to get in later than 6:00, I feel bad for you. But really Atlanta, you should have known better.

By Amused By The Chaos

April 5, 2007 8:05 AM | Link to this

The promotion will backfire in certain ways by creating a “PR Nightmare”…but in other ways, “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.”

The only limitation on this promotion that was publicly stated was that “if you are even one minute late, you will not receive free admission. Now it appears that there were a “limited number of free tickets.” This was NOT clearly stated to the general public.

The television news was just showing the Six Flags parking lot - and it is CLEARLY only about 20% full. There seems to have been NO effort to communicate that “the first 10,000” (or whatever the cap was on the free admissions) would only be admitted. The morning news is saying that “the gates are NOW closed…BUT THEY WILL BE OPEN LATER FOR PAID GUESTS.” LOL

I’m also fascinated by the abuse of the promotion - “Six Flags as Daycare”. If you dropped your kids off for the day and then went off to work, you better go back and get them. They probably didn’t get in.

And before you complain - it’s YOUR job to supervise your kids. Not Six Flags’s responsibility.

By Bree

April 5, 2007 8:07 AM | Link to this

AND DURING SPRING BREAK NO LESS!!!!

ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!!

YOU FRUIT CAKES!! WTF!!

By Where's your head at?

April 5, 2007 8:14 AM | Link to this

Who in their right minds would drop kids off on the interstate in the dark, in the cold and let them WALK to Six Flags? These are serious idiots! Go ahead and blame the radio station and six flags because your precious child had to sit in the cold waiting for a ride or walk a mile to loiter and cause problems for QT and other businesses.

By j

April 5, 2007 8:14 AM | Link to this

all I have to say is if you were farking stupid enough to go there.. you deserved to sit in that night mare..

Thank god I dont live over there anymore :)

By Linds

April 5, 2007 8:16 AM | Link to this

Oh please. This event was a great idea. Yes, of course people are going to show up en masse. And of course there’s going to be gridlock. But at the root of this is goodwill - doing a favor for the Atlanta community.

I truly think the promotions people never expected the event to turn into such a traffic nightmare. Don’t just assume the worst in people right off the bat!

By Koz

April 5, 2007 8:16 AM | Link to this

Six Flags = Gang Infested

By Linds

April 5, 2007 8:17 AM | Link to this

Oh please. This event was a great idea. Yes, of course people are going to show up en masse. And of course there’s going to be gridlock. But at the root of this is goodwill - doing a favor for the Atlanta community.

I truly think the promotions people never expected the event to turn into such a traffic nightmare. Don’t just assume the worst in people right off the bat!

By Linds

April 5, 2007 8:17 AM | Link to this

Oh please. This event was a great idea. Yes, of course people are going to show up en masse. And of course there’s going to be gridlock. But at the root of this is goodwill - doing a favor for the Atlanta community.

I truly think the promotions people never expected the event to turn into such a traffic nightmare. Don’t just assume the worst in people right off the bat!

By Big Fan

April 5, 2007 8:17 AM | Link to this

BAN SIX FLAGS….FOR THE CHILDREN!!!!

Really…they said that the park was at capacity. I saw a shot of the main parking lot and it was not even 1/4 full and they do not let in walk ups??

They are so full of it!!

I gots ta gets me sum free stuff!!

By Linds

April 5, 2007 8:18 AM | Link to this

Oh please. This event was a great idea. Yes, of course people are going to show up en masse. And of course there’s going to be gridlock. But at the root of this is goodwill - doing a favor for the Atlanta community.

I truly think the promotions people never expected the event to turn into such a traffic nightmare. Don’t just assume the worst in people right off the bat!

By CJ

April 5, 2007 8:19 AM | Link to this

Get over it!! This was a great idea for a promotion. Common sense tells you that Six Flags can only hold so many people, so whoever thought EVERYONE could get in before 9am is an idiot. Ever seen a Fire Marshall capacity sign before? Every commercial venue has one.

As for the weekday gridlock … umm … have you ever left your house on any weekday morning? Atlanta always has gridlock except on Sundays and Christmas! This too shall pass…

By Josh

April 5, 2007 8:20 AM | Link to this

Q100/Six Flags screwed this up badly. Atlanta can’t handle these types of free events that are not properly regulated/planned. They should have closed the park to the public and Q100 could have given away the free tickets on the radio. Thus, we wouldn’t be in this mess.

By Rik

April 5, 2007 8:21 AM | Link to this

You people need to lighten up. There are far worse things than someone being late for work. I was on my way to take my child as a surprise, he did not even know we were going until I heard about the gridlock and turned around. We were dissappointed, but I can’t blame the Bert show. There are 15,000 people in the park right now that are devoted listeners (or will be) and I couldn’t be happier for them.

By SoccerChick

April 5, 2007 8:21 AM | Link to this

Okay… who is going to be held responsible for this and pay for this debacle?! And on another note, why on earth would parents stop on an interstate highway and drop their kids off. Who in their right mind would ever think this is a smart idea. I cannot tell you how many children nearly got hit by folks trying to merge on to I-20 to get to work. Is it really worth the effort to get a free ticket while risking your children’s lives to get them their? Come on people use what the Lord gave ya… your common sense!!

By SoccerChick

April 5, 2007 8:23 AM | Link to this

Okay… who is going to be held responsible for this and pay for this debacle?! And on another note, why on earth would parents stop on an interstate highway and drop their kids off. Who in their right mind would ever think this is a smart idea. I cannot tell you how many children nearly got hit by folks trying to merge on to I-20 to get to work. Is it really worth the effort to get a free ticket while risking your children’s lives to get them their? Come on people use what the Lord gave ya… your common sense!!

By Jennifer

April 5, 2007 8:24 AM | Link to this

Seriously people, lighten up. Period.

By atl music

April 5, 2007 8:24 AM | Link to this

Hey why not next time have a “how much water can you drink” to get into White water for free!!! that would be sooo cool for Q100s next debacle.

By Yea right

April 5, 2007 8:27 AM | Link to this

I was asked to go and play hookie from work. My common sense told me yesterday that it will be during rush hour when all of this madness will take place. Probably will never make it to get it, so glad I didnt even try!

By whydoyoucare?

April 5, 2007 8:29 AM | Link to this

I work in the area, and do not listen to Q100, therefore I was late to work because of thier inability to be considerate. At least let other station listeners know about this beforehand. I love hearing about the fist fights typical for this demographic!

By Thomas

April 5, 2007 8:29 AM | Link to this

Glad I’m so poor or cheap that I can afford tickets for my family. All discounts and sales do is bring out the riff raff. Same stupid people that wait outside of wal-mart all night. Idiots.

By QC

April 5, 2007 8:30 AM | Link to this

This was a very bad idea Q100 anytime you say FREE everybody & they momma will show up, traffic was crazy, all those kids on the train were acting up, cursing & disrespecting people who were actually trying to “get somewhere on time” so hopefully Q100 will not make this same mistake again next year

have a great day all

By Bratkat

April 5, 2007 8:30 AM | Link to this

I think it was a great idea poorly implemented. Sorry, but free Six Flags for the first 10,000 during spring break. Oh well, my normally 1 hour commute was only 15 minutes this morning.

By Big Fan

April 5, 2007 8:33 AM | Link to this

OK, who will be the first person to sue Sex Flags over this Armageddon-like nightmare!!! LOL!!

I can only imagine the trash that showed up at the gate this morning….lordy, lordy.

Last time we visited Sex Flags, we were horrified at the white trash and thuggish behavior.

We vowed to never go back…especially since 4 “youths” kept eye-balling my Range Rover.

The worst part was standing in line with the unwashed masses and getting stains on my Polo chinos…our maid had a dickens of a time getting the stains out!

By Big Lu

April 5, 2007 8:33 AM | Link to this

Good job Six Flags, I’m glad someone in this region knows anything about business. Unfortunately you chose the wrong time to conduct the giveaway, shoulda started it at nine or ten instead of 6. But I commend you for taking the bold step of giving away something for free to a freeloading city.

By Connie

April 5, 2007 8:33 AM | Link to this

Q100.5 had and has a responcibility to its listeners for this crap. If there was a limit to the number of people to be admitted they should have did free tickets instead of this stupid ‘DITCH DAY” .My 16 year old just driving was stuck in this crap since 4:45 this morning. Almost out of gas, disappointed and scared. Personally I’ll never listen to the Bert Show again.

By Georgia

April 5, 2007 8:34 AM | Link to this

My daughter and I went yesterday and it was wonderful… NO lines, no crowds. The longest wait in line for a ride was 20 minutes. We rode every roller coaster at least 7 times.

I am so glad we PLANNED our visit before this mess…..what a nightmare. Especially for those who took the day off from work to take their kids…..what a shame. Yesterday was the best!!!

By sj

April 5, 2007 8:34 AM | Link to this

Just when I thought humanity couldn’t get any dumber they go and prove me wrong!!!

By Connie

April 5, 2007 8:34 AM | Link to this

Q100.5 had and has a responcibility to its listeners for this crap. If there was a limit to the number of people to be admitted they should have did free tickets instead of this stupid ‘DITCH DAY” .My 16 year old just driving was stuck in this crap since 4:45 this morning. Almost out of gas, disappointed and scared. Personally I’ll never listen to the Bert Show again.

By Connie

April 5, 2007 8:34 AM | Link to this

Q100.5 had and has a responcibility to its listeners for this crap. If there was a limit to the number of people to be admitted they should have did free tickets instead of this stupid ‘DITCH DAY” .My 16 year old just driving was stuck in this crap since 4:45 this morning. Almost out of gas, disappointed and scared. Personally I’ll never listen to the Bert Show again.

By mikegadawg

April 5, 2007 8:35 AM | Link to this

They reached capacity at 552am. Good for those who got in, sux for those who didnt. Who would have thought there were 15,000 freeloaders ready to before 6am. I dont think anyone expected it. And as far as q100 goes, if you know their listeners and audience, this is no big deal to them. It happens. Literally, u snooze, u lose. Q100 listeners are cool like that.

By Rik

April 5, 2007 8:35 AM | Link to this

Thomas, it must be hard looking down on the rest of us from your perch. Not everyone who went today was a freeloader looking to get over. How about the hard working parents that could not take their kids to Six Flags, but tried to provide them with something that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to. Elitist scum is what you are.

By LazyGuy

April 5, 2007 8:37 AM | Link to this

I can’t stop thinking about how nightmarish the lines inside the park will be today.

You couldn’t pay me to go to Six Flags today. These folks will be lucky to enjoy 2 or 3 rides.

By sunshine411

April 5, 2007 8:39 AM | Link to this

I am disappointed…its a shame people don’t come out to vote like this.

By Dr.Strangelove

April 5, 2007 8:39 AM | Link to this

Would all these parents get up this early to go VOTE???? but you can get up to go to six flags!!!!! Our priorities are shot to H*ll !!!

By Coweta

April 5, 2007 8:39 AM | Link to this

Yep, I was one of the thousands of idiots who got turned away this morning. Nothing like dragging a 3 yr old and a 8 yr old out of bed for a 3 hour trip to the Six Flags exit and back. I should have known better. At the same time, Q100 should not play the dumb card of not realizing that people would turn out in the 10’s of thousands for a free $50 pass into the park. Come on..

By Elaine

April 5, 2007 8:40 AM | Link to this

I listen to Q100 everyday on the drive into work. They did say the only way you would not get into the park between 6am-9am would be if it reached capacity. I don’t feel sorry for anybody not getting in the park, especially the bright parents who let their kids out on the freeway. Where is DFACS? Everyone should have known this was going to be a traffic nightmare. This is Atlanta.

By Outraged & Late For Work

April 5, 2007 8:40 AM | Link to this

Not only do I blame Six Flags and Q100, but also our wonderful city officials! They need to be thinking ahead when stupid promotions like these are announced. They could have squelched this WAY before it took place and saved everyone a lot of grief!

By Borisdag

April 5, 2007 8:40 AM | Link to this

It’s Six Flags, what do you expect?

The park is staffed by a bunch of slack-jawed ghetto illiterates and the management is barely capable of keeping litter off the ground!

By the end of the day we’ll be reading reports of who got shot!

By Big Fan

April 5, 2007 8:41 AM | Link to this

RIK, I too would refer to them as freeloaders. If they cannot afford a ticket they should dig ditches or something that would be good for their character.

Remember, the world needs ditch diggers too.

Ta Ta!

By Thomas

April 5, 2007 8:42 AM | Link to this

This is proof that Six Flags has become like Underground Atlanta. Only people that go there are ones that can’t afford to do anything else. Someone should build a new amusement park and pre-screen the customers, so that the park would stay nice and clean, without all the rednecks and thugs. Kinda like a private school with rides.

By InWonder

April 5, 2007 8:43 AM | Link to this

My theory has been proven: there are that many parents who cannot tell their child “no”. If you are sitting in the traffic and it is obivious that you are not going it just TURN AROUND, take the kids home and tell them you’ll take them another day. Don’t let them walk! You are putting your child in DANGER! Do you not care about your child’s safety? Now we got mass of hundreds and hundreds of kids standing around, unattended, far from home with nothing to do and probably not enought money to get anywhere. It is sad. Someone call DEFAC on all these kid’s STUPID parents (yes, you are STUPID to just leave your kids to walk down the highway to Six Flags. You really don’t have a crystal ball to know if they got in - you are just assuming - while you are at work without a clue and your kids have to hunt you down. Sad, really sad - you are parenting by assumtion that everything always goes your way.

By Fay

April 5, 2007 8:49 AM | Link to this

Man…..I have lived here all my life and never realized how STUCK UP many of the people that live here are!

Sad

By Cynic

April 5, 2007 8:51 AM | Link to this

Anyone with any common sense knows that when you hear the word FREE, you run away the opposite direction. Not worth the trouble and hassle. No such thing as a free lunch, people. If it sounds too good to be true, chances are…it is. And today is no exception…they made you think everyone could get in from 6-9am, but apparently they capped it at 15,000 or so. And people dropping off kids on the highway?? And even for the thousands that DID get in, it will be miserable…you might get in AT BEST 3-4 rides today with those lines. Forget it.

By Chris

April 5, 2007 8:52 AM | Link to this

Ha ha ha Q100 is the worst station ever anyway. Half of the “drama” they play on the air is fake or made up anyway.

By Big Lu

April 5, 2007 8:52 AM | Link to this

Rik, ungrateful trash like you give the rest of the freeloading community of atlanta a bad name.

By Unclebuck

April 5, 2007 8:52 AM | Link to this

XM or Sirius wouldn’t pull a stunt like this.

By Big Fan

April 5, 2007 8:53 AM | Link to this

FAY, we have just had enough with the trashy element in our city. My gosh, just the other day I saw a bunch of hooligans wearing baggy jeans!!

What does that say about our society??!!

Can’t we all just agree to not be trashy?

I am doing my part by sending my children to a private school and ettiquette lessons, what are you doing?

By More Elitist Scum

April 5, 2007 8:55 AM | Link to this

I LOVE to go to Six Flags. I pay for a Season Pass and I Pay for Preferred Parking.

I enjoy paying $100+ dollars for that line-cutting thingy that lets me CUT ALL THE LINES IN FRONT OF YOU and the rest of the cattle.

I enjoy riding Goliath 4 times while you wait in line to ride it just once. I enjoy the looks on the faces of those in the cattle line as I step on your faces to ride ahead of you.

And the barbecue is some of the best. I don’t care that I spend $50+ to feed 4 people. It’s what a day in the park costs.

I can’t be bothered waiting in the regular lines with the common people when I can pay my way to assert my superiority.

Money rules. I have it. You don’t.

By InWonder

April 5, 2007 8:56 AM | Link to this

Fay, you must not have been to Six Flags in the past 10 years… because many here are just stating the obivious, NOT being stuck up. It is just the obivious truth. I don’t plan to ever go back for many reasons, one is the that fact that I don’t feel safe walking in the parking lot - any many WILL agree with that. There ARE kids just randomly walking, with no parents, around and acting all weird when the security comes around. Why should they act wierd?, because they ARE up to no good. So, I just avoid it so I can keep my car stereo.

By Skreet

April 5, 2007 8:56 AM | Link to this

“I am doing my part by sending my children to a private school and ettiquette lessons, what are you doing?”

I am homeschooling my 19 children and they are all very ignunt.

By Fay

April 5, 2007 8:57 AM | Link to this

Ok Big Fan….I’m getting it now. You are kidding. YOU GOT ME!

“Polo chinos” LOL

But for real, I wasn’t just talking about you!

By WOW

April 5, 2007 8:57 AM | Link to this

I’m sure Q100 had the best intentions when planning this event, but didn’t make sure to look at all possible outcomes. The idea that just the listeners would come out was not good planning. I’m not a loyal listener; and so, I heard about this from a co-worker and friends, so of course everyone in and outside Atlanta would come. I thought about attending this, but something told me that something like this would happen. I don’t think it is entirely the station’s fault. They did say that it would be free between 6-9am so people would get there early. They said that after 9am people would have to pay and that if tha park was full people may not get in. Those parents that dropped kids off at the park and on the expressway should be given tickets. That’s so irresponsible and dangerous. So now that whole area has freezing, bored, frustrated kids loitering trying to figure out a way to get in the park or home. Sorry Q100, but this is not a good look. *Shaking my head

By Rewal

April 5, 2007 9:00 AM | Link to this

How long will it be before the lawsuits start???

By Larry J

April 5, 2007 9:00 AM | Link to this

You people have lost your minds. Suing Six Flags? Suing Q100? For what?

They had a promotion that was far more successful than anyone possibly would have imagined. This was on a week day - NOT New Year’s Eve.

Do you honestly think Six Flags does not have a capacity? Please.

The people who should be SUED are the geniuses who let their children walk down the side of the interstate or walk to Six Flags.

Life will go on.

All of you “experts” who knew this was going to be bad and had to sit in traffic, why did you use your great intelligence to leave earlier for work - or take a different route?

By nomo

April 5, 2007 9:01 AM | Link to this

I went several years ago and wont be back because of the out of control, dirty talking, thugged out, cutting line, starting fights, black kids! Can’t imagine what its like today.

By Nancy

April 5, 2007 9:03 AM | Link to this

As one of the lucky people who just arrived at work (8:43am) and left their house at 6:30 am - Just want to thank Q100 for the great ride to work. I hope the ‘Guv’ imposes a fine on you just like he did for the nimrod contractor that blocked I-20 last month !!!! What were you guys thinking ????

By Rik

April 5, 2007 9:03 AM | Link to this

WOW! I knew there were a lot of elitist classist racist scum around, but this is over the top. Why bother saying ghetto, thug and baggy pants? Just take off the white sheet and say the N word. C’mon you know you wanna. Shouldn’t you racists be listening to Boortz while you pleasure yourselves?

By Elle

April 5, 2007 9:04 AM | Link to this

CALM DOWN PPL!!! What is the big deal? Whenever you say FREE in the ATL thousands of people are going to show up. Don’t you guys have any compassion at all? Tickets for Six Flags are $50 for adults & $30 for kids. If you take a carload of people there that’s at LEAST $200 before you even get into the park! A lot of people cannot afford this, so this was a good opportunity to take entire families.

So what you were inconvienced for a little while because people wanted to go to Six Flags. Don’t you guys realize that Atlanta has reached 5 million people? & FREE….Six Flags only holds around 15,000 people did you guys know that? They reached that at 5:30am! The 1st ppl got there at 2am. If they want to go to six flags let them go. I commend Q100 & Six Flags for offering this to people.

So just chill out get over it. My commute is usually an hr everyday going up the eastside of 285, but I have accepted it! It’s Atlanta, we have the 3rd worse traffic in the country, get used to it…& if not move somewhere with a smaller population…problem solved!

By Fay

April 5, 2007 9:04 AM | Link to this

What’s funny is that Q100 was making fun of people who were calling in asking a bunch of questions b/c it seemed 2 good 2 B true!! They kept saying “IT’S FREE PEOPLE!!” and “EVERYBODY CAN GET IN FREE!!” and “IT’S NOT THAT DIFFICULT PEOPLE!” and then THIS happens and they are all “GOLLY GEE WILLIKERS!” about it.

By JJ

April 5, 2007 9:04 AM | Link to this

Without a doubt, traffic was aweful this morning. It took me over an hour to travel 15 miles on surface streets through Cobb and Douglas Counties. In Q100’s defense, a week ago, everyone was calling the radio station and telling them thank you for doing this. This mess is really Six Flags’ fault. First of all, if it wasn’t so expensive to get into the park, people wouldn’t be so quick to jump on an opportunity to get in for free. The average family of four drops well over $200 on tickets and parking before they even set foot inside the park gates. Second of all, they stopped letting people in, claiming the park was at “capacity” with 15,000 in the park. The reality is, the park holds closer to 40,000.

By catlady

April 5, 2007 9:06 AM | Link to this

This was a debacle waiting to happen. Luckily there was no loss of life. It amazes me that parents will do this (or allow their kids to) for something “free”. Those whose kids were dropped off should have had to go to the police station and pick them up, and be charged with abandonment.

I never go to Six Flags (or many of the malls) because of the behavior the proprietors allow with unruly young folks. They must not need my money. The expectations CAN be raised to civil behavior, but the mall owners, etc., think they have to put up with this stuff. So they continue to drive away the upper-middle class folks like me. When and why did we lose control?

By Mrs. Wilson

April 5, 2007 9:07 AM | Link to this

Thomas, wake up. You are living in a dream world. If you are as high and mighty as you want us to believe you are, go build your own little perfect world and live in it by yourself.

By Willie

April 5, 2007 9:07 AM | Link to this

Prayer for eastbound 20 commuters headed downtown Atlanta: Lord, give us patience for the rest of the day, take any and all anger out of our hearts, please help restore calm in our bodies, and for those responsible, help them to understand this travesty with a healthy fininancial penalty!!! Thank you for your Blessings, Lord. AMEN.

Willie B. (Commuter from Powder Springs)

By Michael

April 5, 2007 9:07 AM | Link to this

This was not well thought-out on Q100’s part. Poor planning in radio promotions almost always ends badly.

Remember the WKRP turkeys? “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!”

To go one better, I can go back to the radio station “disco demolition” at White Sox Park in Chicago years ago. The ensuing riot all but destroyed the ballpark and forced the White Sox to forfeit the baseball game being played. That station didn’t recover for years.

Q100 listened to the marketing folks, and didn’t consult with anyone else. And I would have thought the memory of Freaknik wouldn’t be such a dim memory…

By Big Fan

April 5, 2007 9:09 AM | Link to this

Oh….no you did not, nomo

You did it now….oh snap….

Anyone know where I can pick up some brie and chardonnay on my way to Sex Flags?

My homeboys are picking up the papers…

By RK

April 5, 2007 9:09 AM | Link to this

It’s just a good promotion gone too well, that’s all.

And for the person that suggested the weekend? Amusement parks have no problem filling the park up on those days.

By deegee

April 5, 2007 9:09 AM | Link to this

Sure, Thomas. And someone should build a water park for nice looking thin people and make sure that all fat people are excluded.

By what a bunch of whiners

April 5, 2007 9:10 AM | Link to this

What a bunch of whiners.

If you planned on getting into Six Flags today but were turned away disappointed, blame no one but yourselves. Six Flags, like any other place of business, operates within the confines of a maximum capacity. If maximum was reached prior to your arrival, then you do not get in. You should have had a better game plan for getting into Six Flags free. It was free, no one owes you a thing if you were turned away.

Besides, who in their right mind would WANT to be in the park today. I’m sure the park with be crowded, lines will be long and it’s a bit cool today anyway.

By Brad

April 5, 2007 9:12 AM | Link to this

Here’s an idea! Next time a promotion like this is dreamed up, make the people go to the radio station’s place of business to pick up their free vouchers. That way it will be their nightmare to police up! Fines, they are a comin’

By Katie

April 5, 2007 9:12 AM | Link to this

Having read many of these posts, I have to say: How was Q100 to know this would be such an enormous success? How were they to know that traffic would be tied up for 6+ hours? Furthermore, to those of you who are under the impression that no one that planned this event had to endure the frustration they supposedly “caused”, I would direct you to the Q100 morning show where every host sat in traffic upwards of two hours to get to the broadcast. And more than that, to those of you who claim that the folks at Q100 gave the “impression that EVERYONE” would get in for free, that is patently untrue: for the past two weeks, they have been saying to arrive early because the park does indeed have a capacity that cannot be surpassed, and if that capacity had been reached and you weren’t there, even if you were standing in line, you would not be let into the park.

Moral of the story: a) people will do anything to get something for nothing, and b) when something doesn’t go your way, try getting a little perspective and not passing blame onto everyone else.

By JP

April 5, 2007 9:14 AM | Link to this

It should not take a particularly intelligent person to realize what a nightmare this would cause in a city the size of Atlanta, not only for people trying to get to work during rush hour but for all the parents trying to take their kids for a day of fun, only to be turned away. There were probably thousands who can’t afford to pay to go to Six Flags trying to get in as well as all the others who just wanted to save the price of admission. I-20 was a parking lot in both directions for hours. Whoever dreamed up this stunt at Six Flags should be fired.

By Confused

April 5, 2007 9:14 AM | Link to this

So, from what I am hearing is that Six Flags/Q100 is being blamed for parents dropping their kids off on an expressway to get to the park and then the kids having to go to a QuikTrip gas station to stay warm. I don’t remember reading or hearing that SF/Q100 was running a baby sitting service for the day. It is society’s responsibility to take care of your children since you have to work? Don’t have children if you can’t take the responsibility of caring for them. Its not society that made you have babies!

By Groo

April 5, 2007 9:14 AM | Link to this

The promotion was a great idea, I have four kids by three wives and am now dating a nice Puerto Rican boy named FurRico. We were all able to get in for free. FurRico and I love the freefall.

By Jim

April 5, 2007 9:16 AM | Link to this

All the ad’s should have specified a limit of the number of people would be accepted. It is false advertising not to clearly state that. The parking lot was not full which indicates this is true. Hopefully many like myself file in small claims. Corporations need to be held accountable and only in numbers will it make a difference to them. Only $ hit them where it counts, not bad PR.

By catlady

April 5, 2007 9:17 AM | Link to this

Remember: Free rides often come with a heavy price.

By SFOG Fan

April 5, 2007 9:19 AM | Link to this

The words of Walt Kelly’s Pogo spring to mind … “We have met the enemy, and he is us!”

I don’t blame Six Flags for this. They knew full well what was going to happen, and properly worked with Cobb County Police to shut things down as soon as they hit their intended capacity.

I don’t blame Q100 for this. It’s an interesting stunt, and Spring Break is about the only time you can do this. A weekend freebie promotion, some on here have suggested? That’s beyond stupid.

There is a lot of blame to go around, however. We, the citizens of metro Atlanta, north Georgia, middle Georgia and eastern Alabama, are to blame. The crowds that thronged the park and forced them to shut down the gates five minutes before the promotion was even scheduled to start … are us. We are the people with kids (I don’t call them “parents”) who allowed them to walk along an interstate highway in an effort to reach the park.

The Atlanta media that promoted this event WITHOUT mentioning all the details are also to blame. This morning’s reporting of the debacle is the first time I’ve heard that only 10,000 people would get in free. The article that appeared on this website on Monday didn’t mention a cap limit on free attendance. I’m presuming that Q100’s own promotions did mention it, but since I don’t listen to local radio (save for this newspaper’s radio station) I have no idea if this is true.

For the purpose of this rant, I’m going to give Q100 the benefit of the doubt … I’ll go so far as to say that the majority of the people stuck out there heard about the promotion from a source that is NOT Q100!

I’m sure this thing is going to get dissected more and more … except by those who most serious need to.

By ME

April 5, 2007 9:20 AM | Link to this

What’s funny is that by implying that only KKK people listen to Boortz you are lowering yourself to the same type of stereotypical racism.

By concerned

April 5, 2007 9:20 AM | Link to this

I’m angry and demand restitution. I have the radio promo recorded and have already hired an attorney to persue the matter. I also have most of the print ads as proof that there was no cutoff other than the 9:00 am listed.

According to my advisors at Jackson-Hewitt I drove 986 miles from forest Park to Six Flags and another 986 back home after being rejected at the gate. That was in my SUV that gets 3.5 MPG and gas now approaching $7.65 per gallon. I expect to be reimbursed for that expense also.

My 13 illigetimate children were following in their own SUVs and had equal mileage and expense so if Q100 and Six Flags decide they want to offer a settlement prior to court date, I’m making a one time offer: $459,078.00 will make me go away.

By Big Fan

April 5, 2007 9:21 AM | Link to this

Oh when, oh when are they going to start free promotions down at the Country Club?

Luvy and I find it tiresome to stand in line with such ruffians that have no mastery of the English language!

OUTRAGEOUS, I say!!

But I must say, the funnel cakes were divine! I must get out more with the common people.

Oh, and a special “shout out” to Wayne at the gate for letting us in after they stopped admission. Spend that $50 wisely Wayne….

By Convinced

April 5, 2007 9:21 AM | Link to this

Sure, Thomas. And someone should build a water park for nice looking thin people and make sure that all fat people are excluded.

LOL! That’s not a bad idea!!!

By Dwayne

April 5, 2007 9:22 AM | Link to this

This was asinine. Six Flags should receive a stiff fine for causing gridlock throughout the west side of town. Their ill-considered promotion’s effects ranged from inconvenience to serious interference with people’s schedules. Shame on you, Six Flags.

By KP

April 5, 2007 9:25 AM | Link to this

As usual, trying to get something for nothing ends up as a disasterous disappointment.

By Boots

April 5, 2007 9:26 AM | Link to this

This was a mindless promotion that was destined to inconvenience a lot of people. While there may have been a positive motivation for the promotion, it was not thought through and results in the old adage: “no good deed goes unpunished.”

By Convinced

April 5, 2007 9:26 AM | Link to this

Sure, Thomas. And someone should build a water park for nice looking thin people and make sure that all fat people are excluded.

LOL! That’s not a bad idea!!!

By Mrs. Wilson

April 5, 2007 9:27 AM | Link to this

Nomo, meet me outside and I’ll show you a “out of control, dirty talking, thugged out, cutting line, starting fights, black kids”.

By TechWreck

April 5, 2007 9:29 AM | Link to this

For those od you that are judging the park’s occupancy by the occupancy of the parking lot - have you thought about how many kids were dropped off by their parents on the way to work? Where are their parents’ cars?

By Rik

April 5, 2007 9:29 AM | Link to this

ME, so what’s your point?

By Connie

April 5, 2007 9:30 AM | Link to this

This is 100% Q100.5 FAULT!!!! They advised all week to show up by six a.m. and when that happened those people were left out. My daughter, just get her license, was stuck in this mess over 4 hours, almost ran out of gas sitting on I-20. This should have been did with free tickets not a ditch day- what a mess. It is annoying heraing the dj’s of this radio station laugh and joke about the thousands of people stuck on I-20. That really fuels the fire. How irresponcible can a station be. Personally the Bert Show and the stattion can go to hell for all I care. They promoted this poorly and now thousands of kids are stuck trying to get home or sitting in traffic. Losers!!!

By freshdaddy30

April 5, 2007 9:31 AM | Link to this

A really dumb idea on spring break for the local schools. Turning people away at 6am when your promotion says free from 6ma - 9am and not thinking of the traffic consequences is poor or po planning.

By Kim Bowers

April 5, 2007 9:31 AM | Link to this

A better thank you to the ATL community would have been a special summer long discount for residents only - like Disney does for Florida residents. This was a stunt - not a gift to Atlanta. Or give several days away to deserving community groups who can plan ahead! That’s generosity.

By Kim Bowers

April 5, 2007 9:32 AM | Link to this

A better thank you to the ATL community would have been a special summer long discount for residents only - like Disney does for Florida residents. This was a stunt - not a gift to Atlanta. Or give several days away to deserving community groups who can plan ahead! That’s generosity.

By Austell Residence

April 5, 2007 9:32 AM | Link to this

who’s gonna pay for the 2 hours I lost after being late for work. Mail my Season Pass to my house ASAP! or I will be calling my Lawyer. Make me go away!

By Convinced

April 5, 2007 9:33 AM | Link to this

$459,078.00 will make me go away.

BAHAHAHAHA. Yall are too much. LOL @ the common people!

By Steve

April 5, 2007 9:33 AM | Link to this

What’s the point. Half the rides are probably broken anyway. At this point, SFOA should just tear down Deja Vu and sell it for scrap.

By Big Fan

April 5, 2007 9:34 AM | Link to this

Folks…folks….PLEASE watch your spelling and use of the English language!!

Here is a tip…before you post in this blog…type up your response in an email window, hit “spell check”, make corrections, cut/paste into the blog comments box and submit.

It is very distressing to see so much bad spelling…I know where your kids get there edukashion now…sigh….LOL!!

Oh…BAN SIX FLAGS….FOR THE CHILLINS!!

By QC

April 5, 2007 9:36 AM | Link to this

^5 Willie

By Fay

April 5, 2007 9:37 AM | Link to this

Katie—-

I understand where you are coming from and I by all means while listening to Q100 (I listen every morning) had decided NOT to go because it just didn’t seem like my cup of tea and I knew that even if what happened today didn’t happen, it would still be PACKED just like any other day at Six Flags and I am young and can afford to go when I want because I don’t have a big family. ANYWAYS, my point is that I NEVER heard them say anything about capacity……(NOW even tho I UNDERSTOOD AND UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS COMMON SENSE some people OBVIOUSLY DIDN’T)

I believe that Q100 DID say something about it, and I must have missed it, but if I missed it then they didn’t say it ENOUGH because I heard them talk about it EVERY MORNING and never heard anything…….

By Sheri

April 5, 2007 9:37 AM | Link to this

I didn’t try to get to Six Flags today because of work. Our office is over by Charlie Brown Airport (Fulton Industrial). Due to the massive gridlock, it took me 3 hours to make the drive from Villa Rica to work! Ridiculous… left home at 6am and arrive shortly after 9am….

Hope those that made it into Six Flags enjoy themselves because it was a miserable morning for me.

By InWonder

April 5, 2007 9:37 AM | Link to this

The fault goes not just to Q100/Six Flags, but the parents too. The parents are also to blame. It is their kids who are standing around because their parents couldn’t be bother to be a parent and make sure their kids got in ok, their job was more important than their child’s safety. You can get another job, you cannot replace your kid’s life.

By sofia

April 5, 2007 9:39 AM | Link to this

It’s because the GP is so nasty that this happened.

By Give me a break

April 5, 2007 9:39 AM | Link to this

There is no way to make anyone happy in this world. Suing Q100 and Six Flags for being inconvenienced, come on people. Are you going to sue every single tractor trailer that jack knives because some stupid little car cut it off?? You live in Atlanta you are inconvenienced by traffic every single day!! As for those that tried to get in the park well you should have gotten up earlier. If you want something for free you better expect to wait. Q100 and Six Flags had no idea how successful this promotion was going to be. As for the parents that actually let their kids off on the freeway…well they need to have “DO NOT BREED” stamped across their foreheads!

By CDS

April 5, 2007 9:39 AM | Link to this

I can appreciate what Q100 was trying to do. It’s spring break, and offering listeners a free pass into the park was a great, but flawed idea.

You are telling listeners that they can get into the park free during the already hectic morning commute to Atlanta. Why couldn’t they have done it on the weekend? You don’t have nearly the same amount of people trying to get into Atlanta between 6am-9am on Saturday morning.

And as I was on my way to work, I couldn’t help but notice the surprising amount of unadulterated kids sprinting down I-20 just after the on-ramp. I want someone to find who their parents are, and call them out for the morons that they are. This isn’t school you’re dropping them off at. It’s an amusement park who is letting anyone in for free.

Q100 should’ve been smarter than this. Someone had to have had half a brain to figure out that this would turn into a nightmare. I don’t listen to Q100, and I doubt that I will after this debacle.

And for the parents who let their kids go unsupervised into the park, need I remind you that that part of town is not a very safe place? I wouldn’t be surprised to hear about these kids getting robbed or dare I say shot because you were too ignorant to tell your spoiled kids NO.

This was just a flawed premise from the get-go, and Q100 is going to receive a LOT of nasty publicity about this.

By Mark

April 5, 2007 9:39 AM | Link to this

Kids walking down the side of the interstate? Where’s Wayne Williams when we need him?

By Big Fan

April 5, 2007 9:39 AM | Link to this

OK, I think that everyone at Q100 should go to some sort of rehab for this misdeed.

By WHAT DID YOU EXPECT

April 5, 2007 9:40 AM | Link to this

Free + Ghetto = 1. Fights 2. Kids being dropped off on the interstate Big Fan, Shut the He!! up!!!! This is a blog not a damn English paper!!! Who the heck puts so much effort to type a damn response!!!

By T

April 5, 2007 9:40 AM | Link to this

They didn’t run out of free tickets!! The park is at capacity. Looks like a successful promotion to me! What are parents thinking dropping these kids off on the side of the road??? I guess it would be Q100/Six Flags fault if they were run over too, huh?? STUPID!!

By sofia

April 5, 2007 9:41 AM | Link to this

It’s because the GP is so nasty that this happened.

By Convinced

April 5, 2007 9:41 AM | Link to this

Big Fan you might wanna take ya own advice sweetie..there when you meant their..BAHAHAHAHA!!!

By Me

April 5, 2007 9:41 AM | Link to this

“As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.” Arthur Carlson

By Westside

April 5, 2007 9:42 AM | Link to this

And here i was thinking there would be less traffic on the road this week due to Spring Break. Who was the ‘genius’ that thought of this bright idea. He needs the wrong testicle removed, just like the vet at the VA hospital in Cali.

By Mimi

April 5, 2007 9:43 AM | Link to this

No, I had no plans to visit the park, but nonetheless, got caught in the gridlock that resulted from 6-Flags FAILING TO THINK THIS THING THROUGH. What idiocy to plan a “Ditch Work” day during (“Hello!) spring break when they (or someone) should have realized the response such an offer would generate. What happens to those season pass holders who are turned away? The public relations nightmare generated by this half-baked scheme will haunt 6-Flags for the remainder of the season, and I for one say “Serves them right!”

As the “only those in cars will be allowed in” ruling, if this wasn’t made clear during the promotional phase, the park will indeed be fortunate if there are no tragedies resulting from 200 - 300 kids trying to come up with a Plan B.

Six Flags - you blew it!

By Jay

April 5, 2007 9:43 AM | Link to this

It’s a sad state of affairs when a giant panda regularly exhibits better parenting skills than thousands of humans in Atlanta. I’m a libertarian, but I would seriously consider granting our government the right to sterilize certain people.

By InWonder

April 5, 2007 9:43 AM | Link to this

The fault goes not just to Q100/Six Flags, but the parents too. The parents are also to blame. It is their kids who are standing around because their parents couldn’t be bother to be a parent and make sure their kids got in ok, their job was more important than their child’s safety. You can get another job, you cannot replace your kid’s life.

By T

April 5, 2007 9:44 AM | Link to this

They didn’t run out of free tickets!! The park is at capacity. Looks like a successful promotion to me! What are parents thinking dropping these kids off on the side of the road??? I guess it would be Q100/Six Flags fault if they were run over too, huh?? STUPID!!

By Convinced

April 5, 2007 9:45 AM | Link to this

Big Fan you might wanna take ya own advice sweetie..there when you meant their..BAHAHAHAHA!!!

By nomo

April 5, 2007 9:45 AM | Link to this

Oh hush up Mrs. Wilson and go pick up your kids!

By Westside

April 5, 2007 9:46 AM | Link to this

And here i was thinking there would be less traffic on the road this week due to Spring Break. Who was the ‘genius’ that thought of this bright idea. He needs the wrong testicle removed, just like the vet at the VA hospital in Cali.

By Westside

April 5, 2007 9:46 AM | Link to this

And here i was thinking there would be less traffic on the road this week due to Spring Break. Who was the ‘genius’ that thought of this bright idea. He needs a testicle removed, just like the vet at the VA hospital in Cali.

By ME

April 5, 2007 9:47 AM | Link to this

My point has already been proven

By Big Fan

April 5, 2007 9:47 AM | Link to this

Hey, how about all the folks that took Marta to Sex Flags, were they turned away too?

If so, someone needs to drop a dime to Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson.

No Justice, No Peace.

By SFOG Fan

April 5, 2007 9:48 AM | Link to this

I’ve been going to the park for nearly 30 years now, and in my opinion it is not the park itself that has changed. They’ve always tried to provide a fun, safe atmosphere for guests.

What has changed is the community that now feeds the park. Central Florida’s theme parks mu