Mike Kannon is the host of the syndicated “The Kannon Show” and “Open House Party.” His mission is to make radio feel big, fun and unforgettable every day of the week.
After time doing the “Open House Party,” Kannon looked at the radio landscape and thought something was missing.
“Top 40 has a lot of shows and I wanted to do a show for that too,” he says. “But this is good for Hot AC as well because. There’s not a lot of shows for Hot AC that have personality and the artists hanging out every day and cool experiences money can’t buy.”
That vision became “The Kannon Show,” a weekday program designed to deliver the same kind of energy and celebrity access that Open House Party has provided on weekends for decades.
“We have guests every day, and each week we have a different guest. They hang out for the entire week. I do interviews now through the lens of the entire week. We also do it on Mr. Master, so I can take phone calls, run contests, and put them live. I just wanted to give stations something special that sounded big and fun and exciting and could do things they may not be able to do on their own.”
Finding the Lane
Of course, great ideas don’t just materialize on-air. Kannon says launching the show took persistence and a clear point of difference.
“I beat down the doors. You don’t take no for an answer. And have to keep trying. You have to show that you have something unique, a brand that’s going to cut through, matter, and be different than what everyone else is doing.”
“Anyone can just do a show. People are going to be slow to syndicate just a regular jock shift because they can do it locally. I gave the network something interesting. An angle nobody else seemed to be doing. Hot AC doesn’t have a celebrity hanging out all week and fun contests. Top 40 doesn’t have much either. Country has some shows like that. So, I pitched them a weekday version of “Open House Party” with celebrities, contests, and things stations don’t have access to. They said, ‘Oh yeah, there is a lane for that.’”
“I also wanted to create something where stations can use their own music. It’s designed to be an extension of their brand that sounds like part of the fabric of their radio station.”
Timing played a role, too.
“It’s something I wanted to do for a long time, but I didn’t have the time because I was at Star 94 in Atlanta, and my days were jammed. When I got riffed in March, I said, ‘I’m going to finally do this.’ It took some pitching, but United Stations was all about it.”
Making It Local
One of Kannon’s selling points is his commitment to making the syndicated show feel hyper-local.
“I cut a million different things for stations every week. For back to school, I was cutting a lot of things for the individual markets. I can promote what they’ve got going on locally.”
“There are syndicated shows where you put them on, and you never hear from them. You send them an email, and you don’t get anything back for a week and a half. I get it back within 24 hours. I’ve created a relationship with the stations so they know if they send me something, they’re getting it right back.”
Interviewing With Curiosity
Kannon approaches artist conversations with the same philosophy: make it personal, not generic.
“I get the audience involved. On “Open House Party,” we have something called group chats, where people can win their way into the interview to hang out. We’ll have five or six winners hanging out with the celebrity, and that’s fans asking real questions. It sounds unique, it’s authentic. They create these moments you can’t get in a regular interview.”
A recent example.
“We had Russell Dickerson on this week, and we were talking about his wife. I asked, ‘What did she get you for your birthday?’ He said, ‘We’re not really gift people. We like to hang out, drink champagne, and then walk to the store next door and just buy whatever we see.’ That’s a cool little slice of life you’re not going to find on Google.”
Keeping the “Open House Party” Legacy Alive
Kannon’s weekend role as host of “Open House Party” ties directly to his weekday ambitions.
“It’s the original weekend party show. You’ve got celebrities hanging out, people checking in from all over the country, sharing their little slices of life. It’s larger than life, but John Garabedian always preached it has to be authentic.”
“We just hired DJ Mach 1 from Kiss FM Chicago for mixes. It’s a big-ass party — the original one.”
Did taking over from a legend like Garabedian create extra pressure?
“Super daunting at first, but I met John when I was still in high school. My first real job was doing the mixes for “Open House Party.” I soaked in as much as I could, asked a ton of questions, but didn’t want to be a copy of John. My worst fear is not being authentic. I took what made him great and Kannonized it and put my own personality on it.”
Beyond the Studio
When he’s not behind the mic, Kannon has a wide range of passions
“I love learning to fly airplanes. I love scuba diving. I live in Florida, so I’ve learned to play pickleball, which is super fun. I’m just a geek. I love learning. YouTube rabbit holes are my thing. I’m obsessed with brands.”
Mentors and Mindset
Kannon credits several industry figures for shaping his career.
“John Garabedian has always been a mentor of mine. Chad Rufer has really helped me be a more concise jock. Jerry Clifton taught me everything about the showbiz side of radio and how important it is.”
“Jerry McKenna. He’s a musical genius. And Joe Breezy. I couldn’t do “Open House Party” without his music expertise and label relationships.”
Still in Love With the Art
More than anything, Kannon’s drive comes from a genuine love for radio.
“I absolutely love it. If I was using my brain, I’d be a pilot or do something in marketing. But this is still fun as hell for me. It’s an art, and I love the art. I don’t want to do anything else. I just want to do what I do as great as I can and keep trying to be better.”
United Stations syndicates the Kannon Show. Find out more here.
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Jeff Lynn serves as Editor of Barrett Media’s Music Radio coverage. Prior to joining Barrett Media, Jeff spent time programming in Milwaukee, Omaha, Cleveland, Des Moines, and Madison for multiple radio groups, including iHeartMedia, Townsquare Media, NRG Media, and Entercom (now Audacy). He also worked as a Country Format Editor for All Access until the outlet shut down in August 2023.
To get in touch with Jeff by email, reach him at Jeff@BarrettMedia.com.
