Hardware Podcasts

Radio One: Cathy Hughes

How I Built This · 26 Sept 2016 · 31m

What this episode covers

Cathy Hughes, founder of Radio One, explains how she built the largest African-American owned broadcasting company in the US, starting with the purchase of her first radio station, WRKO (later WOL), in Washington, D.C. in 1980. She details the struggle to secure $1 million in financing against competitors like Muhammad Ali, relying on 32 bank rejections before securing a loan from a single female banker. Hughes describes living in the station with her son to save costs, managing the 'Quiet Storm' format, and later scaling to 75 stations through strategic acquisitions and an IPO, while navigating systemic lending discrimination.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies and companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Radio One, U.S. Bank, Howard University, Clear Channel
Products
WHUR, WOL

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