WJZA
 | |
| City | Suwanee, Georgia |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Atlanta metropolitan area |
| Branding | WJZA Smooth Jazz 101.1 FM |
| Slogan | Atlanta's Home for Smooth Jazz |
| Frequency | 1310 kHz |
| Translator(s) |
101.1 W266BW (Atlanta) |
| First air date | 2017 |
| Format | Smooth Jazz |
| Power |
2,500 watts daytime, 31 watts nighttime, 500 watts PSRA, 61-12 watts PSSA, 250 watts FM Translator |
| Class | D |
| Facility ID | 36144 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 33°46′21″N 84°16′54″W / 33.772515°N 84.281643°W |
| Former callsigns |
WLKB (1962–1964) WOMN (1964–1973) WQAK (1973–1977) WXLL (1977–1998) WPBC (1998–2017) |
| Owner | Davis Broadcasting, Inc. |
| Website | www.smoothjazzatl.com |
WJZA (1310 AM) is an American commercial radio station broadcasting an eclectic mix of smooth jazz, light rock, soft pop and R&B classics in Atlanta, Georgia. The station is currently owned by Davis Broadcasting Inc. and based in Suwanee, Georgia along with its two sister stations WLKQ-FM ("La Raza") and W243CE ("La Mega").
Conception
WJZA’s smooth jazz format was soft-launched in October 2017 to fill in the void of a dedicated smooth jazz format that has been missing from the Atlanta market since 2012. The station features the voices of prominent radio broadcasters: Sandy Kovach, Miranda Wilson, Allen Kepler, and Maria Lopez.
Since its inception, WJZA has received positive reviews for its venture into a niche market.
The program is also lived-streamed on its website, SmoothJazzATL.
Previous Affiliations
In mid-December, 2012, the then-WPBC came back on the air broadcasting under an agreement with The Talk Radio, LLC, headed by longtime Latino community figure Teodoro Maus. During full-power (2,500 watts) daytime operation, the station is in Spanish with a talk radio format; and at night it once again featured Reggie Gay's Gospel Music service. The station has a heavy emphasis on issues affecting the Latino immigrant community.
In July 2011, Hanmi Broadcasting, Inc. had requested a silent STA for WPBC after an LMA ended abruptly.
In April 2011, the station entered into a Local Marketing Agreement with WZBN's Reggie Gay and adopted WZBN's format of Contemporary Gospel/Holy Hip Hop music.
WJZA transmitting tower is located in the middle of a MARTA employee parking lot at the Avondale train station. In 2002, MARTA conducted a study to renovate the entire College Station area known as: Decatur - "Avondale MARTA Station Study Livable Centers Initiative", including the station's parking lot. In 2007, another study was conducted, but there have been no further announcements found online to date. Since 2007, no renovation of the area has begun, and no new announcements have been made by either MARTA or Dekalb county regarding this initiative. Should this plan come to fruition, at some point, this may affect the tower/transmitter site which would then have to seek permission to be relocated in accordance with FCC rules and regulations.
WPBC's programming consisted of a progressive talk format during the week and mostly jazz on the weekends as of August 6, 2010. The progressive talk format moved to Green 1640 AM in Decatur, Georgia in April 2011 upon WPBC's LMA with Reggie Gay's WZBN that brought about the format change to Contemporary Gospel/Holy Hip Hop.
Prior to August 6, 2010, WPBC broadcast a Korean music and talk format with the "Atlanta Radio Korea" branding. Radio Korea is now broadcasting on WPBS AM 1040.
Prior to broadcasting Korean language programming, WPBC broadcast a Latin music/talk radio format with the "Planeta X 1310" branding.
Prior to April 2011, weekend programming on WPBC was derived from Broadcast Architecture's Smooth Jazz Network.
Prior to October 2017, W266BW was a translator for WSTR_(FM).