It’s not easy for Dave Clabo to describe what he does at Joy 620 WRJZ, but he likes it that way.
“No two days are the same. That’s one thing I like about my job,” Dave explains. “They say if you love what you do, you’ll never have to ‘work’ a day in your life, so it doesn’t seem like work.”
One of Dave’s primary responsibilities is managing the controls for “The Bob Bell Show,” 6 a.m.
– 8 a.m., weekday mornings on WRJZ, so you’ll sometimes hear him on the air during the show, or in prerecorded segments later in the day. He lends his voice for commercials and serves as a producer for various show hosts to cover the 5 p.m. weekday program, “The Drive at Five.”
From WKCS to WRJZ
His passion for radio was sparked by Dr. Al Adams, a teacher at Knoxville’s Fulton High School. Dr. Adams, now a Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame inductee, played a pivotal role in getting Dave on a radio career path.
Dave recalls Dr. Adams providing mentorship and encouragement, but also holding Dave accountable for quality work with high standards.
“Back then, I had zero confidence in myself, but when I was in radio in high school, I actually found my confidence, because this was something I knew I could be good at,” Dave says. “If it hadn’t been for Dr. Al encouraging me and sometimes getting up in my grill, I wouldn’t be here today and there’s no telling what direction my life would have taken.”
Dr. Adams helped Dave land a job at a satellite radio station in Powell, Tennessee. And that’s where Dave became interested in behind-the-scenes technical work. Instead of live DJs, the operations were primarily carried out with gear like tape decks and a Commodore VIC 20 computer.
“Once I learned what to do, I thought, ‘Man, this is cool stuff!’” Dave says.
Behind the Mic, Behind the Scenes at Joy 620 WRJZ
Dave discovered he had a knack for running the controls and that talent eventually led to the job he enjoys today. It’s the perfect blend of tasks, allowing him to enjoy technical work with a little bit of on-air work mixed in.
“If I don’t have anything to say, Bob’s got it. I just work the board (controls),” Dave says. “But if anything has to do with a subject of interest of mine, I’ll come on the air. If I know something about it, I’ll say something about it.”
For example, in addition to Dave’s radio career, he served for six-years as a reserve officer with the Knoxville Police Department. It gave him valuable perspective and insight to share on a show that often opens conversations about current events.
Winning an award for Reserve Officer of the Year in 1997 and with experiences like a foot chase from the scene of an accident, he worked alongside a senior officer who Dave still considers a friend and mentor today.
“It was a very unique experience,” Dave says. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s helped me become a better employee, and I’ve grown to have a deeper respect for law enforcement officials.”
Leading by Example
Dave is also a husband and father. “When I met Joanne, I thought she was the cutest thing I had ever seen,” Dave says, adding that he knew it was love the moment he saw her unfasten her ponytail, her long hair swooping down to her lap.
“She was so beautiful that I forgot what I was going to say,” Dave recalls.
They were married on Sept. 11, 1999, and have three children together: Ashley, John David, Jr., and Logan.
The greatest turning point in Dave’s life is a day that will forever be etched in his memory. Hospitalized after a head-on collision, his car hit by an oncoming pickup truck, Dave began to wonder what would happen if he were to die.
“They say the devil is a liar and a deceiver,” Dave says. “I had thought I was a Christian for so many years. I thought I was, but I wasn’t. I immediately prayed the Sinner’s Prayer and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.”
Which brings Dave to the message he most wants to deliver to the world today on the air at Joy 620 WRJZ and off the air, too.
“Death has no schedule,” Dave states. “You just don’t know when your time will come. You could die in your sleep or get hit by a car or some freak accident, I’ve seen news stories about outlandish accidents resulting in someone’s death. You just never know”
The post WRJZ Staff Spotlight: Dave Clabo first appeared on Joy 620 WRJZ.