Cathy Hughes, who founded Radio One Inc., was honored as a 2016 Hall of Fame Inductee at the 4th annual Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame. She is also the first recipient of its Music Living Legends award.
Hughes got her big break in 1973 working as General Sales Manager at Howard University?s radio station. During her first year as GM, she increased sales from $250,000 to $3 million. Later, she famously created the station?s ?Quiet Storm? format which forever changed urban radio and was adopted by 480 stations across the U.S.
In 1980, she founded and her husband Dewey Hughes founded Radio One. Since then, the company has expanded to include television, digital media and branded content. She is also credited with being the first African American woman to chair a publicly held corporation – Radio One, Inc.
LaMont Robinson, founder and CEO of the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, was quoted as saying, “It is going to be?an honor to enshrine Ms. Cathy Hughes into the?Rhythm & Blues Hall of?Fame Class of 2016 and to honor her with the Rhythm & Blues Music Living?Legends Award. Ms. Hughes is definitely a trailblazer in every?sense?of the word. She has?opened so many?doors for many rhythm & blues?artists and?entertainers.” ?
Currently, Hughes? son, Alfred E. Liggins III, serves as CEO and president of Radio One, Inc.. Hughes maintains her position as chairperson.
