The First Black Woman to Take a Company Public: Cathy Hughes

Cathy Hughes is an American entrepreneur, television and radio personality, and business executive. She founded the media company Radio One (now known as Urban One). When the company went public in 1999, she became the first African-American woman to head a publicly traded corporation. She was also listed as the second-richest Black woman in the United States.  

“If you can believe it, then you can achieve it,” Cathy Hughes. 

Today, Urban One Inc., its subsidiaries, operates as an urban-oriented multi-media company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: radio broadcasting, cable television, reach media, and digital.  

The beginn ing , Personal life, and legacy  

The Beginning

In the mid-1960s, Hughes worked in Omaha Star, an African-American newspaper. After almost four years, she began her radio career with KOWH in Omaha. Soon after, she moved to Washington D.C., when she was offered a job as an administrative assistant with Tony Brown at the School of Communications at Howard University. Some years later, in 1973, she became General Sales Manager of the university’s radio station, WHUR-FM, increasing station revenue from $250,000 to $3 million in her first year, which was an incredible achievement. She then became the first woman vice president and general manager of a station in the nation’s capital. She created the format known as the “Quiet Storm,” which revolutionized urban radio and was aired on over 480 stations nationwide.  

As time progressed, she and then-husband Dewey founded Radio One in 1980. But she had to face many problems during this time, after being denied loans 32 times from the bank. It finally went through, and she bought AM radio station WOL 1450 in Washington, D.C . With a young son and the loss of her home, she struggled to keep the radio alive. In 1982 the bank threatened to cease payments to the company’s investment unless she agreed to air music instead of the previous format of 24-hour talk shows as she believed in “Information is power.” After the hardships and long discussions, things changed for her company. She bought radio station WMMJ in 1987 and WKYS in 1995. Finally, i n 1999, Radio One became a publicly-traded company listed under the NASDAQ stock exchange.   

Her Inspiration

In 2000,  Washington Post reported her to be “the empowering voice of the black community.” During a talk show with David Greene in NPR’s Guy Raz, a podcast Hughes said during one of the shows a member said, “one of the members said to me, if you think that you’re smart enough to own a radio station, you should do it for yourself. He was being facetious, but I took it verbatim, seriously. I was like, oh, my goodness. I should do it for myself”. So, that’s how the journey started.  

It was her taking a chance, breaking the shackles of stereotypes. As the wise Angela Bassett said: “Don’t settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had. We need to live the best that’s in us”, we all need to get out from the closet and give it a shot with courage.   

Personal Life & Legacy

Hughes married young and was pregnant when she was seventeen. Her first marriage to Alfred Liggins Jr lasted till 1967. They had a child together, Alfred Liggins III. In 1979, she married Dewey Hughes, but they divorced in 1987 as debt became overwhelming for him. They had no children together.  

Her only child, Alfred, returned to D.C. to help his mother. He attended the night school at the University of the District of Columbia and worked at the radio station during the day. Since 1994, he took over the day-to-day operations of the family business, becoming the president and chief executive officer of Radio One, with his mother retaining ownership.  

Awards & Recognitions

In 1995,  Huges received an honorary doctorate from Sojourner Douglass College in Baltimore. She became the first woman to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the twelfth annual ceremony of the college. She was awarded the First Annual Black History Hall of Fame Award in 2000. The documentary series Profiles of African-American Success featured her life’s story. In 2016, she was inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. She accepted a position on the Board of Trustees at Creighton University in Omaha in 2020.  

Hughes’ life journey has become an inspiration for many. She started young fighting every battle life threw at her. She stumbled but didn’t give up. Her story is a living example of successful Black women entrepreneurs who built their empires from scratch. From rags to riches, she understood the power of knowledge and information. Hence, making her a billionaire and a living icon for the Black community.