MA Radio: John Garabedian Named ‘Broadcaster of the Year’

John Garabedian

John Garabedian, radio personality, disc jockey and host of Open House Party on WXKS-FM, was named the 2013 Broadcaster of the Year by the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association (MBA). The award was presented at Sound Bites, the Association’s awards night last week.

Garabedian’s career began as a weekend announcer on WMRC in Milford, and included positions in the 1960’s at Worcester’s WORC, WAFM in Miami, WHYN AM-FM in Springfield, WMEX in Boston, and WFEA in Manchester, NH. 

From the late 1960’s into the early 1970’s he was the Chief Engineer at WWCO in Connecticut and was an announcer and consultant at WBCN.  In 1972 Garabedian founded his first radio station, WGRT, licensed to Natick.  Following that he founded WGTF in 1979 as well as WJVJ-TV Boston “V-66” in 1984.

In 1987, Garabedian created Open House Party – an interactive weekend party show, with a live audience, all-request music, 800 call-in lines, superstar guests and the hottest music in the country. The program launched on Kiss 108 (WXKS), and over the next twenty years, the program grew into a nationally syndicated show, broadcast on over 150 stations in the United States. 

In addition to the Open House Party, he is the founder and CEO of CodComm, Inc. which runs four FM stations out of Hyannis.

Outside of broadcasting, Garabedian is an accomplished pilot and the President of the Cape Area Pilots Association, and also serves on the board of the Massachusetts Air and Space Museum.