History
WFDR-FM and WQCK
The station's original call sign was WFDR-FM, signing on the air in 1967. [3] It was the sister station to WFDR AM 1370 in Manchester. The call sign was a reference to former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had his Little White House vacation home in nearby Warm Springs, Georgia.
On October 31, 1981, the station changed its call sign to WQCK. Two years later, it adopted its current call letters of WVFJ-FM on July 7, 1983.
Christian radio
On February 13, 1981, Atlanta businessman Bill Watkins and his wife Joyce founded Provident Broadcasting Company in order to create a radio ministry for the benefit of Christians and others seeking spiritual inspiration. WVFJ, which began using the moniker "The JOY FM", was their first station. It operated as a commercial radio station, selling advertising to support its operations. In 1998, it moved its radio studios from the small community of Manchester into Atlanta radio market as Metro Atlanta's first Contemporary Christian station. The transmitter was moved closer to Atlanta to Greenville.
Provident Broadcasting Company was a wholly owned subsidiary of Watkins Associated Industries, Incorporated. The group's stated mission was to provide wholesome family programming filled with joy, hope, and encouragement.
In March 2011, WVFJ became officially owned by Radio Training Network. One of the changes under new ownership was that after 30 years, WVFJ became a non-commercial, listener-supported station instead of selling advertising. In May, WVFJ added 11,000 watts to its effective radiated power.
WVFJ-FM is in a three-way competition for the Christian Contemporary audience in the Atlanta market. Tennessee-based Educational Media Foundation owns both of WVFJ's competitors: 106.7 WAKL, part of the non-commercial K-Love network, and 104.7 WAIA, which broadcasts the company's other Christian Contemporary network Air1. [4]
Tower collapse
On January 12, 2023, WVFJ's transmitter tower was destroyed by a tornado. [5] A series of tornados in Georgia and Alabama resulted in seven fatalities and caused millions of dollars in damage.
Radio Training Network worked to restore the tower and get the station back on the air. [6] While the tower was reconstructed, programming continues to be heard on line and on a series of rebroadcasters and FM translators in Georgia and Alabama.
In May 2024, construction of the new tower was completed at the same location as the previous tower, and the station returned to broadcast at full power. [7]
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