is opening day for a rollercoaster also media day.

Majority of the time, no.

Media day can range anywhere from a week prior up to the day before the actual general public opening of the coaster.

The purpose of a "media day" is to allow local news stations to cover a ceremony in which the upper management at the park and corporation that operates the park commemorating the opening of the ride. The media (reporters, camera men) then cover footage of the opening ceremony and footage of the new coaster in operation, usually with trains loaded with riders that are usually park employees, management, special guests, VIP's, and sometimes people that have successfully completed a raffle or bid for a seat on the coaster - in which the money is donated to a charity of some sort. I've seen trends in which the riders are interviewed afterwards on how they thought the ride was.

Then the filmed segments (combined with park issued B-ROLL footage) are aired on whatever TV news station was there to cover the event as well as any newspaper or periodical that was there too. The point is to generate press for the new attraction as well as informing locals that "hey! there's a new ride open at our park!" Coaster most usually officially open within a few days of the media event.

It can depend and change from park to park and ride to ride. I've been at a couple of media days where they would have the "media" part in the morning and early afternoon, then in the late afternoon they'd open it up to the public.

Disney will often actually have the ride open before media day for "soft openings" where they'll test it out with regular guests in the park, making sure everything is working right before they announce that it's open.

As for who the riders are, that will very much change from park to park, and employees in many parks aren't given the opportunity because there's no guarantees of how "photogenic" they are, or what kind of interview they'll give. That's why in many cases the coaster clubs are called, because they know they'll be smiling during and after the rides and provide good copy for reporters.

__________________
Have you read my number 1 best seller? There will be a test! ~God
Life with God is one thrill ride you'll never want to get off of.
My park & coaster photos: Sir Willow's Smugmug pictures

^What they said.

__________________
~ThrillNetwork's Social Networking Director~
This signature is up for rent.

I have been to parks that had media day for a coaster in the morning, and opened in the afternoon the the public (S:UF @GAdv). I have also been to parks that opened the rie to the public days after media day. Some parks do both. For example, SFGAdv had media for S:UF on the same day that they opened it to the public. This past year, the had media day for KK a few days before the actual opening to the public.

__________________

No... PKD's Media Day for Tomb Raider: Firefall this year was like 2 months after the ride already opened...

__________________
I have no signature...Oh...Wait...This is a signature...

It varies/ Media Days are held before, on or after an attraction has opened. I think a few of Carowinds media days have been after the ride has opened to the public.

Ricochet & Reptar's media days was on public opening day.

__________________

2009 Carolina Cobra Crew
Go Panthers! 4-6: Week 12 @ New York Jets

#6 North Carolina Tarheels 4-1

I always thought that the media day was the opening day but I guess im wrong. I could have swore that KK's media day was the opening day because there was all the camera people.

Well, KK was a special case. On Thursday the 19th, it held its media festivities in the morning. That evening, starting at 3, they let season passholders request rides. So, it was open on the same day of media day but still limited. Saturday it opened to everyone, so I'd consider Saturday the opening day.

I'm glad they had that passholder preview on media day :)

(that's when I was at the park)

no
but some times