open-line

[ oh-puhn-lahyn ]

adjective

1. (of a radio or TV show) maintaining open telephone lines to permit listeners or viewers to phone a program with comments, questions, requests, etc.; call-in.

open-line

noun

1. a radio or television programme in which listeners' or viewers' questions, comments, etc, are telephoned to the studio and broadcast live. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries)phone-in

Word History and Origins

Origin of open-line¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Even without additional help, Ukraine has already brought dozens of cases using intercepted open-line communications and video evidence, resulting in the conviction of 25 Russians on charges such as shelling civilians and torturing Ukrainian soldiers.

From New York Times

The government-funded Canadian Broadcasting Corporation offers a wide array of shows, from Writers & Company, an award-winning program hosted by the journalist Eleanor Wachtel focused on books and authors, to Cross Country Check-Up, a 51-year-old weekly national open-line radio program, broadcast live simultaneously through six time zones across the country every Sunday afternoon on CBC Radio One.

From New York Times

Every Thursday, the actor, comedian and producer Tim Heidecker hosts open-line “office hours.”

From Washington Post

NJ.com reports Friday that officials described the call as an errant, open-line emergency cellphone call “commonly referred to as a ‘butt dial.'”

From Time

Operators at the county’s 911 center first learned of trouble when they received an “open-line call” with sounds of a woman in distress, police said.

From Washington Post