Cathy Hughes Biography
Cathy Hughes is an American radio and television personality, entrepreneur, and business executive. She has been listed as the second-richest black woman in the United States. Hughes is also the founder of Urban One (previously known as Radio One), which is the largest African-American-owned and operated broadcast company in the nation. The company went public in 1999. During this time, she was the first African-American woman to head a publicly traded corporation.
She attended and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and Creighton University. In both, she took Business Administration courses. She, however, did not complete and receive a degree. This led to her working as a sales manager at Howard University’s radio station, WHUR-FM.
Before radio, in the mid-1960s, she worked for an African-American newspaper called the Omaha Star. She began her career in 1969 at KOWH in Omaha. However, she left for Washington DC after she was offered a job as an administrative assistant with Tony Brown. This was at the School of Communications at Howard University. In 1973, she became a General Sales Manager.
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She became the first woman vice president and general manager of a station in the nation’s capital in 1975. Hughes created the format known as the “Quiet Storm,” which revolutionalized urban radio and was aired on over 480 stations nationwide.
During her marriage to Dewey Hughes in 1979, they set out to purchase a radio station. Successfully finding a lender after being denied thirty-two times by banks. This was in 1980 and then her husband founded Radio One. After the previous employees had destroyed the facility, she faced financial difficulties and subsequently lost her home and moved with her young son to live at the station.
In 1987, she brought back the radio station WMMJ with her company Radio One. Radio One brought WKYS radio station In 1995. In 1999, Radio One became a publicly-traded company. In 2007, her son was Radi One CEO and Cathy was chairperson. She is also a minority owner of BET industries. In 2020, Cathy accepted a position on the Board of Trustees at Creighton University in Omaha.
Cathy Hughes Age
How old is Cathy? Cathy is 76 years old as of 2023. She was born Catherine Elizabeth Woods on April 22, 1947, in Omaha, Nebraska, the United States. In addition, she celebrates her birthday on April 22nd every year, and her zodiac sign is Taurus.
Hughes Height
Hughes stands at an average height and is of moderate weight. However, her exact body measurements are currently under review.
Cathy Hughes Family
Hughes was born to parents Helen Jones Woods (mother) and William Alfred Woods (father). Her father is a trombonist with International Sweethearts of Rhythm at Piney Woods School. Additionally, her mother was the first African-American to earn an accounting degree from Creighton University.
Cathy Hughes Husband
Hughes was married to Alfred Liggnis Jr from 1965 to 1967. They were blessed with one child, Alfred Liggins III. Alfred was born on January 30, 1965, in Omaha, Nebraska. She got pregnant when she was seventeen and her mom threw her out of her house.
Later on, she married Dewey Hughes in 1979. However, they got divorced in 1987. The two had no child together.
Cathy Hughes Net Worth
Hughes has an estimated net worth of around $460 million. Her main source of income is mainly attributed to her successful career as a radio and television personality, entrepreneur, and business executive.
Cathy Hughes Salary
Hughes receives an estimated annual salary of between $1 million to $5 million.
Cathy Hughes Awards
Hughes has written many awards. Granted an honorary doctorate from Sojourner Douglass College. This was in Baltimore in 1995. That accomplishment drove her back to school 2 years later. Hughes was also the first woman awarded the Lifetime Achievements Award. She was also a member of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce’s Business Hall of Fame.
In 2000, she was awarded the First Annual Black History Hall of Fame Award. She was also presented the National Action Network’s “Keepers of the Dream” award.
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