WRJZ is a Christian

Christian radio

Christian radio is a category of radio formats that focus on transmitting programming with a Christian message. In the United States, where it is more established, many such broadcasters play popular music of Christian influence, though many programs have talk or news programming covering...

 talk radio

Talk radio

Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...

 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

Focus on the Family

Focus on the Family is an American evangelical Christian tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s...

, Chuck Swindoll

Chuck Swindoll

Charles Rozell "Chuck" Swindoll is an evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator and radio preacher. He founded Insight for Living, currently headquartered in Plano, Texas, which airs a radio program of the same name on more than 2,000 stations around the world in 15 languages...

's Insight for Living, In Touch with Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley , is a US preacher, Pastor of First Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia.Charles Stanley may also refer to:*Charles H...

, and Harold Smith

Harold Smith

Harold Smith may refer to:*Harold Smith , American diver and Olympic gold medalist*Harold Smith , director of Ipswich Town Football Club...

's Radio Bible Hour.

WRJZ also airs Carson-Newman College

Carson-Newman College

Carson–Newman College is a historically Baptist liberal arts college located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, United States. Enrollment as of 2006-2007 was about 2,050. The college's students come from 44 U.S. states and 30 other countries. Studies are offered in approximately 90 different academic...

 football.

History

At one time this station was WATE. The frequency changed to 620 and the call letters changed twice, first to WETE.

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.

Adele Arakawa

Adele Arakawa

Adele Arakawa is an American evening news anchor for NBC affiliate station KUSA-TV of Denver, Colorado. She was the first female radio disc jockey in Knoxville, Tennessee...

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

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. 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

WOKI

WOKI is a United States FM radio station serving the Knoxville, Tennessee area with an News/Talk format. It is an ABC Radio O&O station through Cumulus Media.WOKI operates at 8,000 watts at 98.7 MHz with a tower twenty miles northwest of Knoxville, TN...

, WRJZ briefly switched to an adult contemporary format in 1981, then shortly thereafter to a country music

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk 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".