Catherine Hughes UONEK

Founder, Chairperson of the Board & Secretary, URBAN ONE INC

Cathy Hughes Talks Key to the City, Urban One Legacy with Don Juan Fasho

📅 Aug 14, 2026 100.3 R&B (WOSL-FM) 9 MIN 1 VIEWS 36 SEGMENTS · 2 SPEAKERS

On Wednesday, July 15, #CathyHughes received the Key to the City from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. She was one of six recipients recognized this year. She also became the first woman to receive the honor in Washington, D.C. Watch the full interview!

What Catherine Hughes said

Written from the verified transcript and checked against it. Every figure links to the moment it was said.

Catherine Hughes, founder and chairperson of Urban One, discussed receiving the key to the city from Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. She emphasized that the honor belongs to her staff and the community, noting that Bowser has only given out six keys, including to Dave Chappelle and Darrell Green. Hughes reflected on the company's growth from Radio One to the nation's largest black-owned media company, highlighting recent acquisitions like K-104 in Dallas and a new Spanish-speaking station in DC. She addressed demographic shifts in DC's Black population from 78% to 38%. Hughes expressed pride in her son Alfred, who has been CEO for 33 years, and encouraged community support and cultural self-preference. She also playfully suggested Don Juan deserves a star on the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame.

Key takeaways

Mayor Bowser has only issued six keys to the city; Hughes is the only woman recipient.
Urban One purchased K-104 in Dallas, Texas within the last 90 days.
DC's Black population dropped from 78% to 38% since Hughes moved there.
Hughes's son Alfred has been president and CEO for 33 years.
Hughes was pregnant at 16 and a mother by 17, yet never worried about her son's path.

Numbers and commitments

Figure	What it refers to	Type	At
90 days	time since K-104 purchase in Dallas	timeline	3:26
78%	Black population of DC when Hughes moved there	metric	4:07
38%	current Black population of DC	metric	4:07
33 years	length of Alfred's tenure as CEO	timeline	7:02

Chapters

0:00Key to the city honor
1:26Comparing honors in DC and Cincinnati
3:11Journey from Radio One to Urban One
4:07Community demographics and new stations
4:57Legacy and community support
6:12Other key recipients
7:02Pride in son and personal journey
8:16Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame

Questions asked in this interview

0:26And let me tell you this, what was going through your mind when you got that key to the city?
1:12Why does receiving this honor from Washington DC, the city where Urban One began, Radio One began, how special and how does that mean to you?
3:11Miss H, looking back, why does this recognition say so much about the journey from Radio One station to the nation's largest black-owned media company?
4:39How do you hope your legacy continues to impact the future generations to come?
5:57When you received that key to that city, what did that key symbolize to you personally when you got that key?
6:54And when you look back on your remarkable career and all that you've done, what are you most proud of?

Don Juan 0:00 ↗

Hey, how you doing?

Catherine Hughes 0:01 ↗

I'm wonderful. How are you?

Don Juan 0:03 ↗

I am great. I am blessed. Hey, this is a dream come true. Hey, one of my bucket list items, Miss H. Listen, the first one was to take a picture with you. I did that. The second one is to actually interview you. Look at God.

Catherine Hughes 0:17 ↗

Oh, well, you could have interviewed me anytime. It didn't have to be on the bucket list. I hope that you will invite me back many times.

Don Juan 0:26 ↗

Absolutely. But I'm glad to have you on the show today, Miss H. And let me tell you this, what was going through your mind when you got that key to the city?

Catherine Hughes 0:37 ↗

Well, number one, I am just the face on the brand. The key belongs to you, Don Juan, and to the other nearly 1,500 employees of our company. You all do the heavy lifting. And I get the credit and I thank you all for allowing me to represent you, but this key belongs to you.

Don Juan 0:58 ↗

Amen. Thank you for that. Next year will be my 25th year with the company. So, I just want to thank you so much.

Catherine Hughes 1:06 ↗

I know a quarter of a century you've been hanging with us. We love you.

Don Juan 1:12 ↗

Thank you so much. And I love you right back. Why does receiving this honor from Washington DC, the city where Urban One began, Radio One began, how special and how does that mean to you?

Catherine Hughes 1:26 ↗

Well, it means the same thing that you've experienced it when they did, you know, the Don Juan gate, okay, in Cincinnati. It's kind of surreal, isn't it? You're like, 'Oh my goodness, is this really happening to me in my life?' First and foremost, I'm sure that like me, you thank God.

Don Juan 1:45 ↗

Amen.

Catherine Hughes 1:45 ↗

To say thank you for the blessing, but to be recognized. I mean, you were recognized by the mayor. I remember the day in Cincinnati when you know you were honored. When a city pays attention and calls attention to what you've done in that city, it's a very special tribute because cities have a lot of folks doing a lot of things, all of whom you know hope one day to receive recognition for it. But you know they're just a handful. Like in DC, Mayor Bowser has been in public life half of her adult life.

Don Juan 2:26 ↗

Okay.

Catherine Hughes 2:26 ↗

Two terms on the city council, three terms as mayor, and she's only given out six keys.

Don Juan 2:33 ↗

Wow.

Catherine Hughes 2:34 ↗

Three men, three women, three blacks, three whites. Five men, one woman, me. And I'm like, why me, dear Lord? And I just thank you for this blessing, but I want to share it with my staff. I want to share it with the other individuals whose names sometimes never make the press, but work real hard each day to make our city a better place, our neighborhood, our churches, our schools, and sometimes they don't even get a thank you. And so I don't accept this key for me. I accept it for all of us.

Don Juan 3:11 ↗

Thank you for that for sure. And I'm almost tearing up. Miss H, looking back, why does this recognition say so much about the journey from Radio One station to the nation's largest black-owned media company?

Catherine Hughes 3:26 ↗

Well, you know, it's almost half a century. It's been a very long, productive, and wonderful journey. But it says that when you do right by your community, you are able to sustain. You're able to not just survive during difficult times, and now are some of the most difficult times that media has ever experienced, particularly black-owned media, but God blesses you not just to survive but to thrive, to continue to grow. As you well know, we just purchased K-104 in Dallas, Texas within the last 90 days.

18 more exchanges in this transcript

Cite this transcript

APA, MLA, BibTeX

APA

Hughes, C. (2026, August 14). Cathy Hughes Talks Key to the City, Urban One Legacy with Don Juan Fasho [Interview transcript]. 100.3 R&B (WOSL-FM). CEOInterviews.AI. https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1206132/

MLA

Catherine Hughes. "Cathy Hughes Talks Key to the City, Urban One Legacy with Don Juan Fasho." 100.3 R&B (WOSL-FM), 14 Aug. 2026. Transcript, CEOInterviews.AI, https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1206132/.

BibTeX

@misc{hughes2026_1206132,
  author       = {Catherine Hughes},
  title        = {Cathy Hughes Talks Key to the City, Urban One Legacy with Don Juan Fasho},
  howpublished = {Interview transcript, 100.3 R\&B (WOSL-FM). CEOInterviews.AI},
  year         = {2026},
  month        = {aug},
  url          = {https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/1206132/},
  note         = {Speaker-attributed transcript with timestamps}
}

▶

Key Quotes (2)

“It says that when you do right by your community, you are able to sustain. You're able to not just survive during difficult times and now are some of the most difficult times that media has ever experienced particularly black-owned media but God blesses you not just to survive but to thrive to continue to grow as you well know we just purchased K 104 in Dallas Texas within the last 90 days.”

▶ 3:38 POLICY

“We have got to get out of that mentality that was, you know, embedded in us for 400 years that okay, we don't like each other, that we shouldn't support each other. That is all fallacy. Every other culture in the world support their own first. That doesn't mean that they don't appreciate and like other cultures. It means they have a preference for their own. And it is high time for us to really re”

▶ 5:19 CONTROVERSIAL

Mentioned in this interview

Mayor Bowser: DC mayor who has given out only six keys to the city

K-104: Radio station in Dallas purchased within last 90 days

Dave Chappelle: One of three Black recipients of key, started in DC

Darrell Green: Former football player and key recipient who still lives in DC

Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame: Attraction Hughes suggests visiting and where Don Juan could get a star

Earlier, on the same topics

“It's up to those of us in black media to embrace the community and make certain that they are represented, their opinions are heard, that the correct view of who we are and what we really want is shown. Uh, but I don't see that as as ever even being discussed in a corporate board meeting at one of t”

Jul 21, 2026 at 6:57 →

“It means it's the highest honor a city can give you. It means that you have made a major contribution to that city. The interesting thing is um Mayor Muriel Bowser was on the city council for two terms and then mayor for three terms. She only gave out six keys total. And I'm the only woman.”

Jul 22, 2026 at 2:41 →

Every Catherine Hughes interview →

More interviews with Catherine Hughes

SHE SLEPT ON THE FLOOR THEN BECAME AN ICONOct 05, 2026 · 30 Plus Years In · 74 min
The Front Page Authority with guest Cathy HughesAug 27, 2026 · The Baltimore Sun · 50 min
Cathy Hughes on Her Key to the City, Faith & a Powerful Message for Black Women | Urban One FounderJul 30, 2026 · Karen Vaughn · 15 min
Cathy Hughes Recieves Key to DC & Building a Media EmpireJul 23, 2026 · RNB Philly · 13 min
Cathy Hughes Dedicates Key To Washington, D.C. To Urban One EmployeesJul 22, 2026 · Radio One - Baltimore · 9 min
Cathy Hughes Receives D.C. Key To The City, Reflects On Black Media, Power And Sacrifice.Jul 21, 2026 · Roland S. Martin · 43 min

All Catherine Hughes transcripts →

About Catherine Hughes

Cathy Hughes, founder and chairperson of Urban One, received the key to the city of Washington, D.C. from Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2026. In interviews following the honor, Hughes said she was the only woman among six recipients and described the award as belonging to Urban One's employees rather than to herself personally. She credited her staff of approximately 1,200 people with doing the "heavy lifting" and said the key should bear their names as well as hers. Hughes also discussed her company's recent acquisition of K 104 in Dallas, Texas, and noted that Urban One would celebrate 46 years in business in October 2026. In media appearances, Hughes discussed her career trajectory, including early struggles such as sleeping on the floor of her radio station, and offered views on Black ownership in media. She stated that Black-owned media is necessary for telling Black stories and criticized the notion of relying on white-owned outlets to do so. She also commented on succession in Black-owned businesses, saying that Johnson Publishing founder John H. Johnson remained in charge too long before handing over to his daughter. Hughes described her work as a "calling" and "mission," and said her faith has guided her decision to maintain gospel radio stations within Urban One's portfolio.

All Catherine Hughes appearances → 100.3 R&B (WOSL-FM) on YouTube →