From its inception in September 1987, OHP quickly became popular with its live all-request format, along with a heavy rotation of dance music and remixes that differentiated itself from most Top 40 stations or shows.

The show's audience and revenue peaked from the mid 1990s to late 2000s, where it was heard on over 175 stations and became the world's most-listened-to radio program on weekend nights.

In 1955, the original Open House Party was created as the afternoon show on radio station WORC in Worcester, Massachusetts.

[1] Garabedian would often co-host the show and went on to become one of the key people to bring up ratings and create major success for the station.

At dinner the following week, Garabedian proposed the idea for a big live, interactive, national party show.

He and his friends strapped a 50-foot pole to his chimney to hold up a little microwave antenna aimed at the Prudential Tower, 24 miles (39 km) to the east, in downtown Boston.

In December 2007, then Wired 96.5/WRDW-FM Philadelphia afternoon jock Kannon, who had already been a mixer and production manager for Garabedian, became the new host of Sunday nights, and currently voice-tracks the show from his house in Atlanta.

On December 17, 2016, Garabedian announced on air that United Stations had not found a new host for Saturday nights yet, and was asked if he would stick around until the end of January, to which he agreed.

The largest market Open House Party currently airs in is Providence, Rhode Island on WPRO-FM for nearly 30 years.