John Garabedian

John H. Garabedian is an American radio personality and disc jockey born on December 20, 1941 (age 74). He is best known as the host of Open House Party. He has been involved in Massachusetts radio and television stations for over fifty years. Garabedian currently lives in Southborough, Massachusetts, and owns two other homes in the New England vicinity.

Biography

Early life and work

At the age of 17, Garabedian joined Worcester station WORC as a disc jockey. Several years after joining, he became a co-host of the original Open House Party radio program, which was a weekday show at that time. By 1971, Garabedian was a program director at WMEX/1510, and worked with well-known Boston-area disc jockey Arnie "Woo-Woo" Ginsburg.

In 1969, Garabedian and partners founded WGTR/1060 (now WQOM) as a top-40 station serving MetroWest from Natick.[1][2] About a decade later, he and his partners added a second station, broadcasting from Nantucket, WGTF-FM (which eventually became the current WEII).

In the period around 1975, Garabedian was an afternoon DJ on WBCN in Boston.

Later years (1980s–present)

Four years after MTV's 1981 debut, Garabedian and his aforementioned fellow WMEX alumnus Arnie Ginsburg started a Boston-area 24-hour music video station, WVJV-TV (now WUTF-TV). Their station, known by its nickname, "V66", mirrored MTV's early all-video format and lasted until 1986, when WVJV phased out videos and was sold to the HSN.[3] There has been a documentary made, "Life On The V: The Story Of V66" to explain the story behind the channel's life.

Garabedian is also the President of the Cape Area Pilots Association (CAPA). The Cape Area Pilots Association was formed in 1995 to further the interests of Cape Cod area aviation, promote flying safety, establish strong support for local aviation interests, and provide annual scholarships for local aviation students.

Following the end of his first television venture, Garabedian returned to radio. In 1987, Garabedian restarted the Open House Party show as a Saturday and Sunday evening, all-request program on Boston station WXKS-FM. Over the next twenty years, the program grew into a nationally syndicated show, broadcast on over 100 stations in the United States.

Garabedian was also the founder of SupeRadio Networks and RadioCraft. In 2009, Garabedian sold SupeRadio to Access One Communications, and re-emerged with his own distribution company, RadioCraft. Garabedian not only was the creator of the syndicated Open House Party, but he also created the weeknight syndicated radio show All Nite Café in the 1990's. In 2005, it evolved into Romeo's Playhouse; today it is known as the Party Playhouse with Jackson Blue. In 2009, Garabedian and current WBQT afternoon DJ Jackson Blue launched a four-hour weekly program titled Celebrity Top 10 Countdown. Garabedian owned all three programs through Superadio Networks. In 2008, current WXKS-FM (Kiss 108) afternoon DJ Romeo stepped down as the host of Romeo's Playhouse, Jackson Blue took over as the host, and the name was changed to the current Party Playhouse. After launching and selling SupeRadio Networks, and creating RadioCraft to self-distribute his three shows, Garabedian sold Open House Party, Party Playhouse and Celebrity Top 10 Countdown to United Stations Radio Networks, in 2012. Garabedian's production company, known as RadioCraft, was phased out as the owner when the shows were sold. SupeRadio Networks is still running, but is a division of Access One Communications. RadioCraft produces the three shows but no longer holds the ownership rights.

In 2003, 18 years after the start of V66, Garabedian founded his second music and youth-oriented television station, XY.tv. The channel found distributors, but ceased operations in 2006.

On April 16, 2016, Garabedian announced live on his radio show, Open House Party that he has a biography of his life set to be released in the fall of 2016.

Garabedian is also the President of CodComm, Inc. and owns four radio stations on Cape Cod; WFRQ, WHYA, WKFY, and WPXC.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1974 (PDF). 1974. p. B-100. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
  2. ↑ "The Boston Radio Dial: WBIX(AM)". The Archives @ BostonRadio.org. August 16, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
  3. ↑ Hilliard, John (June 12, 2008). "The short, eventful life of a local music video station". The Framingham Tab (Community Newspaper Company). Retrieved June 28, 2009.
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