Cathy Hughes, 1947

Cathy-Hughes-WWP

Photo credit - WWP team

Founder of the media company Urban Radio (Radio One) and the first African-American woman to head a publicly traded corporation.



Born in Nebraska as Catherine Elizabeth Woods in 1947, and nowadays she is one of the most successful women in the US, but it didn’t come easy. As a child, her family lived in a housing project, and at the age of 14, she lied about her age to get a job. At 18 she got married and had a son, which became a turning point in her life. In her words – “It was the reason I took my life seriously for the first time as a teenager and made a promise to myself, my son and God that he would not become a black statistic.”

Her journey in the media started in a local newspaper in Omaha (NE). In 1971, She moved to DC to lecture at the School of Communications at Howard University. She became general sales manager of the university’s radio station, WHUR-FM, and led to increasing the station revenue from $250,000 to $3 million in her first year. By 1975, Hughes became the first woman Vice President and General Manager of a station in the nation’s capital.

In 1980, Hughes purchased her first radio station, WOL, DC, and founded “Radio One”. At first, she faced severe financial problems, which eventually led her to lose her home and move with her son to live at the radio station. After pioneering an innovative format – “24-Hour Talk from a Black Perspective” with the theme “Information is Power,” the station began to rise and succeed, and she served as the station’s morning show host for 11 years.

Radio One became a huge success and went on to own 70 radio stations in nine major markets in the US, which made it the first African-American company in radio history to dominate several major markets and the first woman-owned radio station to rank number one in any major market.

In 1999, Cathy Hughes became the first African-American woman to chair a publicly held corporation, when Radio One went public under the NASDAQ. Today Radio One, renamed to Urban One, includes a cable TV network, radio stations, and digital media platforms. Her son, Alfred Liggins III, is the CEO and president of Radio One, while Hughes serves as a Chairperson.

Profile: Cathy Hughes | BOSS: The Black Experience in Business | PBS

Cathy Hughes talks about her inspiration, struggles, and incredible success as Founder of Urban One Inc. (Formerly Radio One Inc.). BOSS: The Black Experience in Business premieres Tuesday, April 23 at 8pm on PBS (check local listings).
Please SUBSCRIBE if you enjoyed: http://bit.ly/1JQmx88
**More info & videos below**

For full episodes, check out http://thirteen.org/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thirteenwnet/
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THIRTEEN is one of America’s most respected and innovative public media providers. A member of the WNET family of companies, THIRTEEN is a unique cultural and educational institution that harnesses the power of television and electronic media to inform, enlighten, entertain and inspire. The flagship public television station of the New York City tri-state area and the most-watched public television channel in the nation, THIRTEEN reaches millions of people with programming that celebrates arts and culture, offers insightful commentary on the news of the day, explores the worlds of science and nature, and invites people of all ages to have fun while learning.

MetroFocus is a multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. The MetroFocus television program features news, smart conversations, in-depth reporting, content from many partners and solutions-oriented reports from the community. Major areas of coverage include sustainability, education, science and technology, the environment, transportation, poverty and underserved communities. MetroFocus.org amplifies that reporting with daily updates and original stories that also cover culture, government and politics, the economy, urban development and other news in the metropolitan region.

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More videos:

A Conversation With Muhammad Ali: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3r56hv3jCU

Thirteen/WNET Opening Night Broadcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gr-QxU1Sz0

Treasures of New York: New York Botanical Garden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kRD6TWUq2A

MetroFocus: The Master Plan of Manhattan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDWIz72UwU4

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Fun Facts

  • In 1970 she created the format known as the “Quiet Storm,” which later aired on over 480 stations nationwide.
  • She was denied 32 times to get a loan from the banks till she found a lender in 1980 and was able to buy WAL, her first radio station.
  • In 2018, the street where Hughes grew up in Omaha, NE, was renamed to Cathy Hughes Boulevard.
  • In 2016 (after a $4 million donation), the School of Communications at Howard University was renamed to Cathy Hughes School of Communications at Howard University.

Awards

  • ADColor Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Chair’s Phoenix Award
  • NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Chairman’s Award
  • Giant of Broadcasting Award
  • Uncommon Height of Excellence Award
  • Essence Women Shaping the World Award
  • The Ida B. Wells Living Legacy Award
  • Induction into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame

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Profile: Cathy Hughes | BOSS: The Black Experience in Business | PBS

Cathy Hughes talks about her inspiration, struggles, and incredible success as Founder of Urban One Inc. (Formerly Radio One Inc.). BOSS: The Black Experience in Business premieres Tuesday, April 23 at 8pm on PBS (check local listings).
Please SUBSCRIBE if you enjoyed: http://bit.ly/1JQmx88
**More info & videos below**

For full episodes, check out http://thirteen.org/


Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thirteenwnet/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thirteenwnet/
Tumblr: http://thirteenwnet.tumblr.com
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thirteenwnet/
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/thirteenwnet/

-----------------

THIRTEEN is one of America’s most respected and innovative public media providers. A member of the WNET family of companies, THIRTEEN is a unique cultural and educational institution that harnesses the power of television and electronic media to inform, enlighten, entertain and inspire. The flagship public television station of the New York City tri-state area and the most-watched public television channel in the nation, THIRTEEN reaches millions of people with programming that celebrates arts and culture, offers insightful commentary on the news of the day, explores the worlds of science and nature, and invites people of all ages to have fun while learning.

MetroFocus is a multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. The MetroFocus television program features news, smart conversations, in-depth reporting, content from many partners and solutions-oriented reports from the community. Major areas of coverage include sustainability, education, science and technology, the environment, transportation, poverty and underserved communities. MetroFocus.org amplifies that reporting with daily updates and original stories that also cover culture, government and politics, the economy, urban development and other news in the metropolitan region.

-----------------

More videos:

A Conversation With Muhammad Ali: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3r56hv3jCU

Thirteen/WNET Opening Night Broadcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gr-QxU1Sz0

Treasures of New York: New York Botanical Garden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kRD6TWUq2A

MetroFocus: The Master Plan of Manhattan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDWIz72UwU4
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Category: Business & Entrepreneurship and Media
Tags: African-American Women, Businesswoman, Radio Broadcaster, and WDC Metro Area Women

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Activism & Feminism

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Economics & Finance

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Sports

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