Costs put Six Flags at half-mast: Napster trims loss; Starbucks gains as steel firms slip

Six Flags Inc. posted a second-quarter loss as attendance slumped,and the company spent more on hiring.

The net loss totaled $39.6 million, or 48 cents a share, comparedwith net income of $11.1 million, or 6 cents a share, a year earlier.

The New York based company said revenue slipped 1.2 percent to$356.1 million.

The number of visitors dropped 14 percent as Six Flags raisedprices to keep rowdy teenagers out of its parks and make theproperties more family friendly.

The company, which said in June it was close to violating theterms of $1.03 billion in loans, said Wednesday its banks had agreedto amend requirements for the second quarter, and relax …