Cathy Hughes Reflects On Her Legendary Radio Career

In an intimate interview with the Huffington Post, radio legend Cathy Hughes reflected on her rise from teenage mother to head of Radio One–the largest Black-owned radio company in the United States.

Hughes gave birth to her son, Alfred Liggins, at the tender age of 16. Liggins now heads Interactive One. However, his birth lead to her being thrown out of her mother’s home, an event she told the Huffington Post that left her “in shock.”

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Though Hughes vowed that she would not let that “shock” derail her resolve to reach her fullest potential in life. “It was the reason I took my life seriously for the first time as a teenager and made a promise to myself, my son and God that he would not become a black statistic,” she told the Huffington Post.

Today, Hughes can point to several “Black Statistics” for Radio One that she can be very proud of: 53 broadcast stations located in 15 urban markets in the United States; 1,500 employees; $433.5 million in projected 2012 revenues.

When asked whether she felt at the time if the pregnancy would ruin her life, Hughes had this to say: