Open House Party
Encyclopedia
Open House Party is an American
radio
show hosted on Saturday nights by John Garabedian
that promotes itself as "the biggest party on the planet". It focuses on playing contemporary hit radio
(CHR) music, also known as Top 40. The show differentiates itself from most Top 40 stations because it plays a fairly significant amount of electronic dance music. OHP started in 1987 and is syndicated to more than 150 stations in the U.S. A companion program, Open House Party Sunday, hosted by Philadelphia, WRDW-FM
radio DJ Kannon, also runs on the next evening on many stations.
The Saturday show originates from the basement of Garabedian's house, located in suburban Boston, Massachusetts. The Sunday show originates from the WRDW studios in Philadelphia and is not live.
Only the Saturday edition of OHP is broadcasted live (in Eastern and Central time only) via satellite from 7:00 P.M. to midnight (in Eastern and Mountain
time) or from 6:00 P.M to 11:00 P.M (in Central and Pacific
time). Some stations only broadcast OHP on Saturday, while others broadcast it only on Sunday, while most broadcast it on both Saturday and Sunday. Some stations only broadcast a portion of OHP to make room for a local or another syndicated program. Many stations rebroadcast OHP from midnight to 5:00 A.M. (in Eastern and Mountain time) or 11:00 P.M. to 4:00 A.M. (in Central and Pacific time). Open House Party and Open House Party Sunday are syndicated by Westwood One.
. A few years later, then 17-year-old John Garabedian was hired to DJ on Saturdays and Sundays.
One night in 1987 Garabedian went to a party in Boston
. There he bumped into Sunny Joe White, radio programmer of Boston's WXKS-FM
"Kiss 108". White asked Garabedian if he would do the weekend shift. The following week, the two of them met to discuss it at dinner, where Garabedian proposed the idea for a national interactive weekend party show. White loved it, and agreed to put it on Kiss 108 after Garabedian created a studio to do the show. After looking into various office buildings, Garabedian decided to do just the show from his basement. He and his friends strapped a 50-foot pole to his chimney to hold up a little microwave antenna aimed at the Prudential Tower
27 miles (43.5 km) East in downtown Boston.
On September 5, 1987 at 7 PM, Open House Party hit the air for the very first time on Kiss 108. Within six months it became the most listened to radio program in Boston on Saturday night, as well as the most listened to radio program every week in the Boston radio market with a 14.8 share.
By the following April stations across the country had heard about Open House Party' s success and were signing on. The 50-foot pole was taken down and was replaced by a satellite dish. By 1990 over 100 stations were carrying Open House Party in the United States
and another 40 in Canada
.
Garabedian continued to DJ on both Saturday and Sunday, until March 2004, when WFLZ afternoon DJ Kane took over the Sunday night show from his house in Tampa
. Kane later moved to Washington, D.C.
and is now the morning host on WIHT
. However, in December 2007 Kannon, the afternoon DJ at WRDW-FM
"Wired 96.5" in Philadelphia became the new host of the Sunday edition.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
show hosted on Saturday nights by John Garabedian
John Garabedian
John H. Garabedian is an American radio personality and disc jockey, known as the host of Open House Party. He has been involved in Massachusetts radio and television stations for around fifty years. John lives in Southborough, Massachusetts....
that promotes itself as "the biggest party on the planet". It focuses on playing contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
(CHR) music, also known as Top 40. The show differentiates itself from most Top 40 stations because it plays a fairly significant amount of electronic dance music. OHP started in 1987 and is syndicated to more than 150 stations in the U.S. A companion program, Open House Party Sunday, hosted by Philadelphia, WRDW-FM
WRDW-FM
WRDW-FM, also known as Wired 96.5, is a Philadelphia radio station owned by Beasley Broadcast Group that plays a Rhythmic Top 40 musical format. Although they lean towards R&B/Hip-Hop, Wired also adds Rhythmic Pop tracks to their playlist...
radio DJ Kannon, also runs on the next evening on many stations.
The Saturday show originates from the basement of Garabedian's house, located in suburban Boston, Massachusetts. The Sunday show originates from the WRDW studios in Philadelphia and is not live.
Only the Saturday edition of OHP is broadcasted live (in Eastern and Central time only) via satellite from 7:00 P.M. to midnight (in Eastern and Mountain
Mountain Time Zone
The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time, also known as Greenwich Mean Time, during the shortest days of autumn and winter , and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time in the spring, summer, and early autumn...
time) or from 6:00 P.M to 11:00 P.M (in Central and Pacific
Pacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
time). Some stations only broadcast OHP on Saturday, while others broadcast it only on Sunday, while most broadcast it on both Saturday and Sunday. Some stations only broadcast a portion of OHP to make room for a local or another syndicated program. Many stations rebroadcast OHP from midnight to 5:00 A.M. (in Eastern and Mountain time) or 11:00 P.M. to 4:00 A.M. (in Central and Pacific time). Open House Party and Open House Party Sunday are syndicated by Westwood One.
History
In 1955, the original Open House Party was created as the afternoon show on radio station WORC in Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
. A few years later, then 17-year-old John Garabedian was hired to DJ on Saturdays and Sundays.
One night in 1987 Garabedian went to a party in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. There he bumped into Sunny Joe White, radio programmer of Boston's WXKS-FM
WXKS-FM
WXKS-FM, better known as Kiss 108, is a radio station in Boston, Massachusetts, licensed to nearby Medford broadcasting a Top 40 format...
"Kiss 108". White asked Garabedian if he would do the weekend shift. The following week, the two of them met to discuss it at dinner, where Garabedian proposed the idea for a national interactive weekend party show. White loved it, and agreed to put it on Kiss 108 after Garabedian created a studio to do the show. After looking into various office buildings, Garabedian decided to do just the show from his basement. He and his friends strapped a 50-foot pole to his chimney to hold up a little microwave antenna aimed at the Prudential Tower
Prudential Tower
The Prudential Tower, also known as the Prudential Building or, colloquially, The Pru, is a skyscraper in Boston, Massachusetts. The building, a part of the Prudential Center complex, currently stands as the 2nd-tallest building in Boston, behind the John Hancock Tower. The Prudential Tower was...
27 miles (43.5 km) East in downtown Boston.
On September 5, 1987 at 7 PM, Open House Party hit the air for the very first time on Kiss 108. Within six months it became the most listened to radio program in Boston on Saturday night, as well as the most listened to radio program every week in the Boston radio market with a 14.8 share.
By the following April stations across the country had heard about Open House Party
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and another 40 in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Garabedian continued to DJ on both Saturday and Sunday, until March 2004, when WFLZ afternoon DJ Kane took over the Sunday night show from his house in Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
. Kane later moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and is now the morning host on WIHT
WIHT
WIHT is a Top 40 formatted radio station that serves the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area. The station broadcasts 24 hours a day. WIHT is licensed to and owned by Clear Channel Communications...
. However, in December 2007 Kannon, the afternoon DJ at WRDW-FM
WRDW-FM
WRDW-FM, also known as Wired 96.5, is a Philadelphia radio station owned by Beasley Broadcast Group that plays a Rhythmic Top 40 musical format. Although they lean towards R&B/Hip-Hop, Wired also adds Rhythmic Pop tracks to their playlist...
"Wired 96.5" in Philadelphia became the new host of the Sunday edition.
Segments
These are a few of the segments heard each week on the show:- Make It Or Break It!(also called "Rate the Record"): Garebedian plays a new song each week and listeners call in to say what they thought of the song. The votes are tabulated and, based upon the final vote tally, the listeners decide to either "Make It...or Break It!" Open House Party Trivia Tidbit: Only one song has ever "Made It" by 100%...that was "Friday I'm In Love" by The Cure and was announced on air by Open House Party intern, Jeff Docherty back in 1992.
- Who Sings It?: Garabedian plays a song and listeners call and guess the artist in order to win a prize pack.
- Satellite Mega-Mix: Garabedian talks to one of the world's top club DJs and a dance mix of up to 3 songs is then played. This segment was discontinued after the show's July 10, 2010 broadcast.
- Research Rich: MediabaseMediabaseMediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytical tools for radio and record industry professionals...
president Rich Meyer gives his company's list of the week's top 5 songs (based on radio airplay) and then Garabedian plays Meyer's pick for the "Hot New Song of the Week" - The Big 3: Garabedian plays the 3 most requested songs of the night. After this, there are usually one or two songs played afterwards and then the show ends.
- The Purple Chamber of Gold: Garabedian takes a caller who has a special meaning behind a particular song. The caller's story is played on air followed by the song. The segment usually deals with the death of a loved one or a love lost. Recently, this was changed to over 30 minutes of songs with a certain theme.
- Long Distance Nighty Nights: This segment always airs at the end of the Sunday night show. Bruno Mars' famous hit, "Just the Way You Are" is played with an extended instrumental intro. Over the intro, Kannon plays calls from listeners all across North America saying a special "Nighty Night" to their loved one.