Profile: Catherine L. Hughes founder and Chairperson Radio One, Inc.

Catherine L. Hughes founder and Chairperson Radio One, Inc.

Catherine L. Hughes co-founded Radio One, Inc. (which owns TV One and Interactive One, parent company of NewsOne) in 1980.

Hughes served as the Chief Executive Officer of Radio One Inc. from 1980 to 1997. She has worked in various capacities for Radio One including President, General Manager, General Sales Manager and talk show host since 1980. She began her career in radio as General Sales Manager of WHUR-FM, the Howard University-owned, urban-contemporary radio station.

Despite having gone through immense financial challenges and losing her home (in the early days), Hughes was able to turn Radio One Inc., into a US$ 300 million company, and in 1998, took the company public, thereby making her the first African American woman to head a publicly traded company.

In early 2004, Radio One launched TV One, a national cable and satellite television network which bills itself as the “lifestyle and entertainment network for African American adults.”

Ms. Hughes now serves as Chairperson of Advisory Council on Underserved Communities at United States Small Business Administration, and is also a minority owner of BET industries.