# Radio One: Cathy Hughes (2017)

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2017-08-14
- Length: 36m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-14-radio-one-cathy-hughes-2017

## Summary

Cathy Hughes, founder of Radio One (now Urban One), explains how she bought her first radio station in 1980 with $10,000 in savings after 32 bank rejections, eventually building a network of 75 stations. She details her strategy of turning around distressed properties, going public to achieve scale, and maintaining control through voting stock. The episode also features a postscript on Mike Butera, founder of Artifon, who developed the Instrument One, a digital musical device that raised over $1 million on Kickstarter and won 'Best in Show' at a major music retailers convention.

## Chapters

- [0:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-14-radio-one-cathy-hughes-2017#t=57) Introduction: Cathy Hughes and the early days of Radio One
- [4:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-14-radio-one-cathy-hughes-2017#t=247) Hughes' teenage pregnancy and move to Washington D.C.
- [9:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-14-radio-one-cathy-hughes-2017#t=549) Creating the 'Quiet Storm' format at WHUR
- [13:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-14-radio-one-cathy-hughes-2017#t=805) Buying the first station and 32 bank rejections
- [17:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-14-radio-one-cathy-hughes-2017#t=1027) Living in the station and managing debt
- [25:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-14-radio-one-cathy-hughes-2017#t=1538) Going public and scaling to 75 stations
- [32:50](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-14-radio-one-cathy-hughes-2017#t=1970) Postscript: Mike Butera and Artifon's Instrument One

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Radio One (company)
- Urban One (company)
- WHUR (product)
- Instrument One (product)
- Artifon (company)
- Fender (company)
- Gibson (company)
- Yamaha (company)
- Korg (company)
- Roland (company)
- Clear Channel (company)
- Kickstarter (other)
- Amazon (other)
- Urban Outfitters (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [134: Kevin Kelly Remains Undefeated](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2026-06-24-134-kevin-kelly-remains-undefeated) (Thoroughly Considered)
- [#012 - Feel the beat - creating the world’s first wearable device for musicians, with Florian Simmendinger of Soundbrenner, Germany - Hong Kong](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-02-08-012-feel-the-beat-creating-the-worlds-first-wearable-device-for-musicians-with-f) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [085: Scaling Your Product Up After Crowdfunding](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-07-21-085-scaling-your-product-up-after-crowdfunding) (Product Startup)
- [An Interview with Zach Dunham](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2017-07-03-an-interview-with-zach-dunham) (The Amp Hour)
- [Episode 1 - The Hardware Story of Inito w/ Aayush Rai | Building a B2C medical hardware company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-story/2024-06-26-episode-1-the-hardware-story-of-inito-w-aayush-rai-building-a-b2c-medical-hardwa) (The Hardware Story)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2017-08-14-radio-one-cathy-hughes-2017. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.