WRJZ

WRJZ
City Knoxville, Tennessee
Broadcast area Knoxville and Vicinity
Branding Joy 620
Slogan "Helping you grow in the faith"
Frequency 620 kHz
Format Christian Talk radio
Power 5,000 watts
Class B
Facility ID 65209
Transmitter coordinates 35°59′24″N 83°50′15″W / 35.99000°N 83.83750°W / 35.99000; -83.83750Coordinates: 35°59′24″N 83°50′15″W / 35.99000°N 83.83750°W / 35.99000; -83.83750
Owner Tennessee Media Associates
Sister stations WETR, WYLV, WDLF (FM), WKTS
Website http://www.wrjz.com/

WRJZ (Joy 620) is a Christian talk radio station in Knoxville, TN that broadcasts on 620 AM with 5000 watts in a non-directional daytime pattern and a five-lobed night-time directional pattern.[1] 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.[2]

History

The 620 AM frequency was first assigned in 1941 to WROL, when that station moved from its previous frequency of 1310 AM. Shortly thereafter the call sign was changed to WATE. In 1971, the calls were changed from WATE-AM to WETE-AM. The station aired an adult contemporary format during their time as WETE-AM. In 1976, WETE-AM changed the call letters to WRJZ-AM, and began airing a top 40 format. CP and Walker, Jeff Jarnigan, Adele (see below), Mark Thompson, Rick Kirk, John Boy, and J.J. Scott were some of the station's best-known personalities throughout the 1970s.[3]

Adele Arakawa, the first female DJ in Knoxville, worked at WRJZ broadcasting Top 40 music for 5 years in the late 1970s.[4]

Other DJs from WRJZ's late 1970s Top 40 era who became well-known were "John Boy" Isley, later of the "John-Boy and Billy Big Show" in Charlotte, NC. and Mark Thompson, later 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 an oldies 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

  1. ↑ https://radio-locator.com/info/WRJZ-AM
  2. ↑ http://carsonnewmaneagles.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/090408aaa.html, Retrieved on 2009-03-05.
  3. ↑ http://ktownradio.blogspot.com/2009/02/back-in-76-wrjz-debuted.html, Retrieved on 2009-03-05.
  4. ↑ http://archive.9news.com/company/bios/article.aspx?storyid=69840, Retrieved on 2009-03-05.


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