1240 kHz in Globe was home to two previous licenses. The first, KWJB/KZOW, operated from 1938 to 1960, when the impending revocation of the licenses of all stations owned by Gila Broadcasting forced the chain to shut down. The second, KWJB/KPPR, operated between 1969 and approximately 1978.
In 1978, James Mace, who had owned the second KWJB before selling it in 1975, made an application to rebuild 1240 on a new license after KPPR's demise. The application was granted in 1980, and Mace selected the KGJM call sign.
The station later had the call letters KSML and KYOR. In 1989, Rollye James and Jon Cornell acquired the station, switching the call sign to KJAA. It changed to an oldies format and later began simulcasting on FM translator K291CU at 106.1 MHz.
