*Howard University is honoring a radio pioneer with her own building on campus.
On Thursday (Oct. 6) the HU’s President Wayne A. I. Frederick officially announced a multi-million dollar gift to Howard’s School of Communications from Alfred C. Liggins III, President and CEO of Radio One, Inc.
Along with the gift comes a new name: Cathy Hughes School of Communications, in honor of the Radio One founder and Chairperson, and former Howard University staff member.
Originally reported by Radio One’s WOL News Talk 1450 AM in Washington D.C., the naming ceremony will be held on Sunday, October 23, at Howard, one day after the conclusion of events from Howard Homecoming’s #ExperienceBlueprint.
A press release says the contribution was made through the Catherine L. Hughes and Alfred C. Liggins III Foundation.
Sources told school newspaper The Hilltop that the monetary gift was in the amount of $4 million dollars.
Below, a bio of Hughes from The Hilltop:
Born in Omaha, Neb. in 1947, Hughes is no stranger to The Mecca. After beginning her career in radio in 1969 with KOWH, a Black radio station in Omaha, Howard University offered her a position as a lecturer. She was then appointed as the general sales manager of WHUR 96.3 FM, Howard’s operated and owned campus radio station, in 1973, then two years later was later promoted to WHUR’s general manager. During that time, Hughes played a big role into increasing the radio station’s annual revenues from $300,000 to more than $3.5 million. In 1978, Hughes would depart WHUR for WYCB Radio where she served as the vice president and general manager of the station.
In 1979, Hughes was able to secure a bank lender to buy WOL, a small Washington, D.C. station, that would birth Radio One in 1980. In January 2004, she launched TV One, a cable television channel targeted at the African-American community.
Ms. Hughes currently serves as the chairperson of the board and secretary of Radio One since 1980, and was formerly the chief executive officer of Radio One from 1980 to 1997. Radio One, the largest Black-owned broadcasting company in the country, recently celebrated its 36th anniversary this year.
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