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Hall of Fame 2005Catherine HughesVideo |
Cathy Hughes is the founder and chairperson of Radio One, Inc., the largest African American owned and operated broadcast-company in the nation. Radio One is the first African American company in radio history to dominate several markets simultaneously and processes the first woman-owned radio station to rank #1 in any major market.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Catherine Elizabeth Woods attended Creighton University and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. In 1969 she began working at KOWH, a black radio station in Omaha, working in various capacities.
Her success prompted the School of Communications at Howard University in Washington, DC, to offer her a job a lecturer. In 1973, she became general sales manager at WHUR-FM, Howard University Radio. Two years later she became the station's general manager, boosting sales revenue from $300,000 to $3.5 million.
In 1979, she and her husband, Dewey Hughes, purchased a small Washington radio station, WOL, creating Radio One. She eventually bought her husband's share in the station. Over time, she made the station profitable, and her own talk show became a hit. By purchasing stations in other cities, the company eventually became the nation's largest black-owned radio chain. Radio One is recognized for its community involvement, the trademark of Cathy Hughes. Her pioneering work had led Essence to name her one of "100 Who Have Changes the World" and on of the "100 Most Powerful and Influential Persons" by both Regardies and Washingtonian. Radio Ink continues to list her as one of the "20 Most Influential Woman in Radio" and Ebony cites her as one of the "10 Most Powerful Women in Black America." She was also a 2004 inductee into Broadcasting Hall of Fame.