Cathy Hughes

Cathy Hughes - The Quiet Force Behind Black Media Ownership

Cathy Hughes is not just a media pioneer - she’s a foundational architect of Black broadcasting. From launching her career at Howard University’s WHUR-FM to becoming the first Black woman to chair a publicly traded company, her journey embodies The Tall Cotton mantra: planting deep, building with purpose, and thriving in legacy - not limelight.

Roots in Resilience

Born Catherine Elizabeth Woods on April 22, 1947, in Omaha, Nebraska, her upbringing was infused with culture and perseverance. Her mother, Helen Jones Woods, was a jazz trombonist; her father, William Woods, was the first African American with an accounting degree from Creighton University. Her grandfather, Laurence C. Jones, was a revered educator and survivor of racial violence. Hughes grew up in the Logan Fontenelle Housing Projects, where community uplift was not just a value - it was survival.

Radio Innovator: “Information Is Power”

Hughes cut her media teeth in the 1960s, first at the Omaha Star, then at KOWH in Omaha, before landing a seat at Howard University’s radio station WHUR-FM. By 1973, she rose to general sales manager, tripling revenue and becoming Washington, D.C.’s first woman VP/GM of a radio station. It was here she co-created the “Quiet Storm” format with a Howard student - a late-night R&B radio phenomenon that would sweep the nation.

Building a Black Media Powerhouse

In 1980, after facing 32 loan rejections, Hughes and her then-husband purchased WOL-AM - launching Radio One from their home and, for a time, living in the station studio. Using the credo “Information is Power,” she turned it into a thriving talk radio station.

By 1987, Radio One had acquired its second station. The company would grow into Urban One, owning over 50 radio stations and launching TV One in 2004 - a cable network aimed at African American adults.

Historic Leadership & Cultural Stewardship

In 1999, Radio One went public, making Hughes the first African American woman to chair a public corporation. Under her leadership, Urban One expanded into digital media - including brands like LadyNoire, iOne, and Reach Media - becoming a multimedia empire influencing culture and ownership.

In 2016, Howard University renamed its communications school the Cathy Hughes School of Communications, a testament to her impact.

Reported Net Worth

Estimates place Cathy Hughes’s net worth between $450 million and $500 million. This places her among the wealthiest Black women in media, giving substance to her role as an ownership-first pioneer.

Legacy of Empowerment

What defines Cathy Hughes isn’t fame - it’s persistence rooted in purpose.

• She transformed media narratives into equity pipelines.
• She created platforms, framed entire genres, and passed them to community and successor generations.
• She tuned culture without apologies and built ownership without fanfare.

Her story teaches: building legacy isn’t about attention - it’s about architecture.

Cathy Hughes & The Tall Cotton

At The Tall Cotton, we spotlight stories of Black wealth, ownership, and strategic excellence - seeded in struggle, grown in perseverance. Cathy Hughes is the living furrow of that ethos.

She didn’t just break ceilings - she built roofs. She didn’t chase clout - she crafted channels. She stands tall, planted deep, rooted in legacy, serving generations. That is what Tall Cotton archives and celebrates.

Read. Learn. Then ask:

“What’s my version of The Tall Cotton?”

Because legacy isn’t built in moments - it’s grown in time.