Source: Carol Lee Rose / Getty
Here at the Urban ONE / REACH Media family, we take serious pride in our leadership, particularly when it comes to our founder and chairwoman, Cathy Hughes.
In addition to making sure the African American community has a nationwide media outlet that can always be trusted with the truth and journalistic integrity, she also hasn’t been a slouch in the least bit when it comes to making sure all employees — race, creed, gender, sexuality, region or any divider you can think of aren’t a factor whatsoever — are taken care of professionally and, yes, well-paid.
With that said, we have to salute the prestigious Inc. Magazine for profiling Mrs. Hughes on our company history, in addition to our values as a whole and where we plan on leading our culture in the foreseeable future.
….now that’s how you kick off Black History Month!
Take a look at a few standout excerpts from Cathy Hughes’ profile on Inc. below:
“As a publicly traded company, Urban One’s executive team and board of directors is beholden to its shareholders. But Hughes hasn’t changed her approach to the business since she moved from her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska to Washington D.C. in 1972 to work at Howard University’s WHUR. “Alfred is in the media and communications business,” Hughes says. “I’m in the Black people business.” “It’s a perfect marriage,” Joyner says. “Alfred and Cathy are a perfect combination for the company,’ he says. “She cares about Black people, and he gets to focus on the shareholders. That’s the way it should be.”
When Hughes and her then-husband Dewey Hughes purchased WOL, an AM station that hit the airwaves on October 3, 1980, launching a company that was then called Radio One, she wasn’t planning on becoming one of the largest Black-owned media companies in the country. “I was just planning to be there the next day to disseminate information of value to the African American community,” she says.
Hughes’s focus on Black people has often driven both her business decisions and her personal relationships. Retired now, the 74-year-old Joyner, who earned the nickname Fly Jock after doing a daily radio show in both Dallas and Chicago, has formed a close bond with Hughes over their shared love of Black people and urban radio.
“Tom and I are equally yoked because we have the same level of commitment to the Black community,” Hughes says. “I think that’s important when you talk about the merger of Black companies. The common denominator between Urban One and Reach Media is that both companies are unapologetically Black.”
Salute to the head honcho, as per usual! We hope the team is making you proud, boss lady!
Read the full Inc. profile by clicking here. Want the Urban ONE story from the chick in charge herself? Listen below to Cathy Hughes’ interview on Amplify Black from Oct. 2023 to hear it all in her own words:
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Cathy Hughes Tells ‘Inc. Magazine’ Her Mission With Urban ONE: ‘I’m In The Black People Business’ was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
