Urban One

Urban One is an American media company headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, whose businesses primarily serve African American audiences. The company was founded in 1980 by Cathy Hughes after she acquired Washington, D.C., radio station WOL. Its original operating model was to purchase underperforming stations in urban markets and reshape their formats around local political, cultural, and musical interests. The company initially operated as Radio One and became one of the most significant African American-owned broadcasting businesses in the United States. WOL provided the foundation for the company's identity. Hughes changed the station from an all-music format to programming that discussed African American politics, culture, and community affairs. A later acquisition, WMMJ in Washington, D.C., became profitable after being repositioned as a rhythm-and-blues station. These changes established a strategy of combining community-oriented talk programming with music formats designed for specific local audiences. During the 1990s, Radio One expanded into additional markets, including Atlanta and Philadelphia, and later entered a wide range of major metropolitan areas. Cathy Hughes's son, Alfred C. Liggins III, joined the company in 1985, assumed responsibility for day-to-day operations in the early 1990s, and became chief executive officer in 1997. Hughes became chair of the board. Under Liggins's leadership, Radio One continued its station acquisitions and completed an initial public offering in 1999. The company grew especially rapidly in 2000 and 2001 through purchases from Clear Channel Communications and the acquisition of Blue Chip Broadcasting. At its peak in the 2000s, the company owned more than 70 radio stations in more than 20 markets. Urban One subsequently broadened beyond terrestrial radio. It helped launch TV One with Comcast in 2004, creating a national cable network centered on African American entertainment, lifestyle, news, and scripted programming. It also acquired a majority interest in Reach Media, the company associated with radio personality Tom Joyner, thereby adding syndicated programming and digital properties such as BlackAmericaWeb.com. In 2008, the company launched Interactive One, a digital-media division that developed and operated brands including NewsOne, The Urban Daily, and HelloBeautiful. Its digital portfolio was intended to complement the company's radio and television operations. The business also went through a period of portfolio rationalization. Between 2006 and 2008, it sold assets, including stations that were considered underperforming or located in markets less aligned with its target demographic. The print edition of GIANT magazine was suspended in 2009 and replaced by an online presence connected to Interactive One. Some stations later changed from African American formats to general-interest formats in response to ratings performance. On May 8, 2017, Radio One changed its corporate name to Urban One, while Radio One remained the name of the radio division. The rebranding reflected the company's broader portfolio of radio, cable television, digital media, and syndicated content. Urban One launched Cleo TV in January 2019 as a sister cable network aimed at millennial and Generation X African American women. The company has also continued to operate TV One, Interactive One, Reach Media, and a substantial radio-station portfolio. Its positioning remains centered on culturally specific media, community engagement, and content created for or distributed to African American audiences in the United States.

Urban One began in 1980 when Cathy Hughes acquired WOL, an AM radio station in Washington, D.C. The purchase established a company whose programming strategy was built around African American political discussion, culture, music, and community concerns. Hughes moved WOL away from an all-music format and used talk programming to create a stronger connection with its intended audience. In 1987, she acquired WMMJ, also in Washington, D.C., and repositioned it as a rhythm-and-blues station. The station's subsequent improvement helped validate the company's approach of acquiring stations with weak performance and redesigning their formats around local African American audiences. Hughes's son, Alfred C. Liggins III, joined the company in 1985 and later became responsible for daily management. He became chief executive officer in 1997, while Hughes moved into the role of board chair. Radio One expanded during the 1990s through acquisitions in Washington, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and other markets. The company acquired WKYS-FM in Washington in 1995, entered Atlanta through the purchase of WHTA, and later acquired WPHI-FM in Philadelphia. Additional stations were added in markets including St. Louis, Boston, Cleveland, Richmond, San Francisco, and Detroit. Radio One became a public company in 1999. The public offering gave it access to capital for further expansion, but the Hughes family continued to exercise significant voting control. In 2000, the company made one of its largest expansion moves by purchasing 12 stations from Clear Channel Communications. The transaction brought Radio One into markets including Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, and Miami, while also adding stations in other markets where it already operated. The company added further Dallas assets soon afterward and expanded to 21 additional stations during that year. In 2001, Radio One operated in 22 markets and had become the largest urban-market radio broadcaster in the United States by the scale described in contemporary company accounts. It acquired Cincinnati-based Blue Chip Broadcasting, adding 15 stations in Ohio, Minnesota, and Kentucky, and made further purchases in Dallas and Georgia. By 2007, the company had reached a peak of more than 70 stations. It also acquired GIANT magazine, extending its media interests beyond broadcasting. The company began reducing and reshaping its station portfolio between 2006 and 2008. It sold nearly $150 million in assets, including stations viewed as underperforming. In 2007, it sold ten stations to Main Line Broadcasting, particularly reducing exposure in markets with smaller African American populations. The portfolio changes lowered its total station count but were consistent with a strategy of concentrating on markets where its audience proposition was strongest. Radio One diversified into television in 2004 through the launch of TV One, a joint venture with Comcast. TV One developed a national schedule of African American entertainment, lifestyle, news, and scripted programming. In the same period, Radio One acquired a majority stake in Reach Media, a Texas-based company founded by radio host Tom Joyner. The transaction gave Radio One interests in the Tom Joyner Morning Show and BlackAmericaWeb.com, strengthening its position in syndicated programming and online content. Radio One later increased its stake in Reach Media and planned to combine its Syndication One operations with Reach's programming business. Digital expansion became another major part of the company's strategy. Interactive One was launched in 2008 and subsequently operated brands such as NewsOne, The Urban Daily, and HelloBeautiful. Radio One also acquired Community Connect, the company behind BlackPlanet, AsianAvenue, and MiGente. In 2009, the print edition of GIANT magazine was suspended and replaced by an online version, GIANTLife.com, within the Interactive One network. Interactive One later worked with NBC News on editorial and sales initiatives involving NewsOne, partnered with Global Grind, and acquired Global Grind in 2014. It also established HB Studios to produce video programming focused on women and diverse experiences. The company adjusted some radio formats in 2011, changing stations in Houston, Cincinnati, and Columbus from African American formats to general-interest formats after weak ratings. It continued to make selected station acquisitions, including the purchase of Washington, D.C., sports station WTEM in 2018. In May 2017, Radio One was renamed Urban One. Radio One remained the name of the radio division, but the corporate rebrand reflected the company's broader mix of radio, television, digital media, and syndication. Urban One launched Cleo TV on January 19, 2019. The network was designed for millennial and Generation X African American women and complemented TV One's wider entertainment and lifestyle portfolio. Urban One's businesses consequently encompass radio stations, cable networks, digital publishing and video, and syndicated programming. Across these divisions, the company continues to emphasize media made for African American audiences and the role of culturally specific content in national and local media markets.

1. 2019Cleo TV launched

   Urban One introduced Cleo TV, a cable network aimed at millennial and Generation X African American women.

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2. 2017Corporate rebrand to Urban One

   Radio One adopted Urban One as its corporate name, while Radio One continued as the radio division's name.

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3. 2008Interactive One launched

   The company created Interactive One as a digital-media division and acquired Community Connect, including BlackPlanet and related online communities.

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4. 2004TV One launched

   Radio One and Comcast launched TV One as a cable network serving African American audiences.

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5. 1999Initial public offering

   Radio One completed an initial public offering, creating a public-market financing platform while retaining family voting control.

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6. 1987WMMJ acquired and reformatted

   The acquisition and repositioning of WMMJ as a rhythm-and-blues station became an early example of the company's local-format strategy.

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7. 1980Company founded through acquisition of WOL

   Cathy Hughes founded Radio One after purchasing Washington, D.C., AM station WOL and changing its programming toward African American political and cultural discussion.

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A leading African American-owned and audience-focused media group combining urban-market radio, cable television, digital publishing, and syndicated programming.

• Radio OneRadio broadcasting division1980

  Radio One is the company's radio division and the business from which Urban One developed. It operates stations using formats that include African American talk, news, rhythm and blues, urban contemporary, sports, and other locally tailored programming. The division historically expanded through acquisitions in major American metropolitan markets and remains the company's principal terrestrial broadcasting platform.

• TV OneCable television network2004

  TV One is a national cable network launched by Radio One and Comcast in 2004. Its programming has focused on African American entertainment, lifestyle, news, and scripted content. The network extended Urban One's reach beyond local radio and provided a national television platform for content directed toward African American viewers.

• Cleo TVCable television network2019

  Cleo TV is a sister cable network launched in 2019 for millennial and Generation X African American women. Its positioning complements TV One by concentrating on lifestyle, entertainment, and related programming for a more specifically defined female audience.

• Interactive OneDigital media portfolio2008

  Interactive One is Urban One's digital-media division. Its portfolio has included NewsOne, The Urban Daily, HelloBeautiful, and other national and local brands. The division has also developed online video and editorial partnerships and has served as a digital complement to Urban One's radio and television properties.

• Reach MediaSyndicated media and radio programming

  Reach Media is a media company founded by radio host Tom Joyner in which Radio One acquired a majority interest. Its assets and activities have included syndicated radio programming associated with the Tom Joyner Morning Show and the BlackAmericaWeb.com website. Reach Media broadened Urban One's position in national content distribution beyond station ownership.

• 2019Launch of Cleo TVProduct launch

  Urban One identified an opportunity for a cable network specifically addressing millennial and Generation X African American women.

  What changed. The company launched Cleo TV as a sister network to TV One.

  Aftermath. Cleo TV expanded the company's cable offering and gave it a more targeted female audience proposition.

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• 2017Rebranding from Radio One to Urban OneStrategy

  The company had expanded beyond radio into cable television, digital media, and syndicated programming.

  What changed. Radio One changed its corporate name to Urban One while retaining Radio One as the radio division name.

  Aftermath. The new corporate identity better represented the company's multi-platform media portfolio.

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• 2008Expansion into digital mediaStrategy

  Audience consumption was shifting toward online publishing, social networks, and digital video.

  What changed. Radio One launched Interactive One and acquired Community Connect, the operator of BlackPlanet, AsianAvenue, and MiGente.

  Aftermath. The company established a digital portfolio that complemented its radio and television businesses and later included additional editorial, video, and social brands.

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• 2004Launch of TV OneProduct launch

  Radio One sought to expand from terrestrial radio into national cable television and reach African American viewers with a dedicated network.

  What changed. The company launched TV One in a joint venture with Comcast.

  Aftermath. TV One became the company's principal cable television platform and a foundation for later network expansion.

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• 2019Urban One launches Cleo TV

  Urban One introduced Cleo TV, a cable network aimed at millennial and Generation X African American women.

  Product launch
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• 2017Radio One changes its corporate name to Urban One

  The company adopted Urban One as its corporate name while retaining Radio One for its radio division.

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• 2012Radio One increases its stake in Reach Media

  Radio One increased its ownership interest in Reach Media and announced plans to combine its Syndication One programming lineup with Reach Media.

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• 2001Radio One acquires Blue Chip Broadcasting

  The acquisition added radio stations in several states and reinforced Radio One's position in urban-market broadcasting.

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• 2000Radio One expands through major station acquisitions

  The company acquired a large group of radio stations from Clear Channel, expanding into several major American metropolitan markets.

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• 1999Radio One completes initial public offering

  Radio One became a publicly traded company through an initial public offering, while the founding family retained substantial voting influence.

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1. Urban One