Source: MONARCH Magazine / via MONARCH
Cathy Hughes is leaving behind a legacy most can only dream of.
That’s why MONARCH magazine, a premier lifestyle and fashion brand, selected her to grace the cover of its Winter 2019/2020 issue. Hughes, the founder and chairwoman of Urban One (the parent company of Radio One, TV One, iOne Digital, CLEO TV, One Solution and Reach Media), has had an amazingly challenging, purpose-driven journey to success. A natural creative, Hughes famously founded “The Quiet Storm” radio format (a mashup of soft talk and romantic R&B music) and a 24-hour talk format highlighting lifestyle and news from a Black perspective before returning to her executive roots and spearheading the expansion of Radio One. Yes, y’all, she put in WORK.
“It’s an honor and privilege to have Ms. Hughes on the cover of MONARCH,” says Will Walters, publisher of MONARCH. “She is an incredible woman and a media pioneer who provides a platform for Black people to be our authentic selves.” The first cover story of the year also commemorates 40 years of Radio One, now Urban One, and drops on the heels of Urban One Honors, the brand’s annual award show.
Though Hughes graces the cover solo, in-book features include profiles and images of a few key players on Urban One’s digital, radio and television teams. Those key players range from executives, such as Detavio Samuels, president of iOne Digital and One Solution (home to the NewsOne, Bossip, MadameNoire, Global Grind, Hip-Hop Wired and Cassius brands), to nationally syndicated radio personalities like Rickey Smiley, Willie Moore Jr. and Al B. Sure.
Source: MONARCH Magazine / via MONARCH
Samuels pays tribute inside, telling MONARCH “Cathy Hughes is a phenomenal visionary and an inspirational leader. The opportunities that young, diverse people get at Urban One are truly extraordinary. I am a testament to that.”
Also within the issue, Hughes, a former radio host, shares her insight on ownership, brand building and family. Furthermore, she speaks candidly about how teenage motherhood dramatically changed her ambition and drive, and her ongoing commitment to working for/with and in Black communities. “I do not want to be separated from those I serve. I love my radio audience. I love my cable viewers. I love my digital participants, and that’s really the connection from which I don’t want to be separated,” she tells MONARCH. “I never imagined that I would be part of the largest Black-owned media company today. I never dreamed about helping folks craft their careers and professions and helping them become successful.”
Source: MONARCH Magazine / via MONARCH
Source: Courtesy of MONARCH Magazine / Courtesy of MONARCH magazine
Find out more about Cathy Hughes’ incredible journey and more in the latest issue of MONARCH magazine, which hits stands nationwide January 21.
