WRJZ

WRJZ (Joy 620) is a Christian talk radio station in Knoxville, TN that broadcasts on 620 AM. It is owned by Tennessee Media Associates.

Programming

Bob Bell hosts the morning show. Among the syndicated programs airing on Joy 620 are Focus on the Family, Chuck Swindoll's Insight for Living, In Touch with Charles Stanley, and Harold Smith's Radio Bible Hour.

WRJZ also airs Carson-Newman College football.^[1]

History

At one time this station was WATE. The frequency changed to 620 and the call letters changed twice, first to WETE.^{[citation needed]}

WRJZ signed on with its current call letters in 1976 with a top 40 format, and J.J. Scott was one of the station's best-known personalities.^[2]

Adele Arakawa, the first female DJ in Knoxville, worked at WRJZ broadcasting Top 40 music for 5 years in the late 1970s.^[3]

Other DJs from WRJZ's late 1970s Top 40 era who became well-known were "John Boy" Isley, of the "John-Boy and Billy Big Show" emanating from Charlotte, NC.^{[citation needed]} and Mark Thompson, of "Mark and Brian", the FM drive team who have been on 95.5 KLOS for 20-plus years.

After several years as a popular Top 40 station but losing market share to FM station WOKI, WRJZ briefly switched to an adult contemporary format in 1981, then shortly thereafter to a country music format, then shortly thereafter went dark entirely only to return to the air during the 1980s with a Christian talk format under the new slogan "Joy 62".

References

External links

• Station web site
• Query the FCC's AM station database for WRJZ
• Radio-Locator Information on WRJZ
• Query Nielsen Audio's AM station database for WRJZ