Urban One
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | Cathy Hughes |
| Headquarters | Silver Spring , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Alfred C. Liggins III (CEO), Cathy Hughes (Chair) |
| Products | Radio stations, digital media, cable channels (TV One, Cleo TV) |
| Website | urban1 |
Urban One, Inc.—previously known as Radio One—is a prominent American media conglomerate based in Silver Spring, Maryland. Established in 1980 by Cathy Hughes, the organization specializes in media outlets serving African Americans, standing as the largest African-American-owned broadcaster in the United States with ownership of more than 50 radio stations.
The company's holdings encompass the digital branch Interactive One, cable channels TV One and Cleo TV, along with a controlling interest in syndicator Reach Media.
By 2014, Urban One was ranked as the ninth-largest African-American-owned enterprise nationwide in terms of revenue.
Founding and Initial Growth
Radio One was launched in 1980 by Cathy Hughes, a single mother recently divorced, who acquired the Washington, D.C. radio station WOL-AM for $995,000. She revamped its programming to emphasize political and cultural issues from an African American viewpoint. Seven years later, Hughes purchased her second station, WMMJ in Washington, transforming it into a profitable outlet by switching its format to rhythm and blues. This approach established Radio One’s strategy of buying struggling stations in urban areas and customizing content to fit local audiences.
Alfred C. Liggins III, Hughes’s son, joined the company in 1985 and assumed the role of CEO in 1997 while Hughes maintained her position as board chair. In 1995, Radio One expanded its portfolio by acquiring WKYS-FM in Washington for $34 million and entered the Atlanta market through the purchase of WHAT-FM for $4.5 million. The company further extended its reach into Philadelphia in 1997 with the acquisition of WPHI-FM for $20 million and added stations across key cities such as Atlanta, St. Louis, Boston, Cleveland, Richmond, San Francisco, and Detroit during the late 1990s.
In 1996, Radio One moved its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Lanham, Maryland, later relocating to Silver Spring, Maryland. Under CEO Liggins’s leadership, Radio One went public on May 6, 1999, issuing 6.5 million shares at $24 each while retaining family control. This public offering made Hughes the first African American woman to chair a publicly traded company. By 2010, Hughes and Liggins controlled 90% of voting shares.
In 2000, Radio One purchased twelve stations from Clear Channel Communications for roughly $1.3 billion, marking its entry into markets including Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Cleveland, and Greenville, South Carolina. The company also acquired two additional stations in Dallas that year, bringing its total new acquisitions to twenty-one.
Continued Growth
By 2001, Radio One operated in twenty-two markets with an audience of eighteen million listeners, establishing itself as the largest broadcaster focused on urban markets nationwide. That February, it acquired competitor Blue Chip Broadcasting for approximately $135 million, adding fifteen stations across Ohio, Minnesota, and Kentucky. Earlier that month also saw the purchase of a Dallas station for $52.5 million. In June 2001, Radio One expanded further by acquiring Georgia's WPEZ-FM for $55 million.
In January 2004, Radio One debuted the TV One cable network through a partnership with Comcast. The following month included acquisitions of New Jersey’s WSNJ for $35 million and Houston’s KRTS-FM for about $72.5 million—strengthening its presence in Houston with three stations.
November 2004 marked Radio One’s acquisition of a majority stake (53%) in Reach Media from radio personality Tom Joyner for $56.1 million paid partly in cash and stock.
Between 2006 and early 2008, Radio One divested nearly $150 million worth of underperforming assets. By 2007 it owned over seventy stations across twenty-two markets solidifying its position as the leading African-American-owned broadcasting firm in the U.S. In January that year it purchased GIANT magazine for $275,000 but later sold ten stations to Main Line Broadcasting for around $76 million to concentrate on markets with denser African American populations.
In 2008, Radio One launched Interactive One as a subsidiary and acquired Community Connect—the parent company behind BlackPlanet, AsianAve, and MiGente—for $38 million. BlackPlanet boasted twenty million members and ranked as the nation’s fourth most visited social networking site.
By December 2009 Radio One ceased publication of GIANT magazine’s print edition and transitioned it online as GIANTLife.com under Interactive One.
In response to declining ratings in 2011, Radio One shifted several Houston and Ohio stations away from African American formats towards broader general interest programming. In May 2018 it acquired Washington D.C.’s sports station WTEM (The Team 980) from Red Zebra Broadcasting owned by Daniel Snyder.
This pattern of strategic acquisitions and portfolio refinement underscores Radio One’s business model centered on expanding market share within urban and African American demographics through targeted purchases and digital media diversification.
Rebranding to Urban One
On May 8, 2017, Radio One underwent a corporate rebranding and adopted the name Urban One, while maintaining Radio One as the secondary brand for its radio operations.
Urban One introduced Cleo TV on January 19, 2019, a cable network designed specifically for millennial and Generation X African American female audiences.
In April 2023, Urban One revealed its intent to acquire Cox Media Group's Houston radio cluster. Since this acquisition surpassed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ownership caps, the company was required to divest two stations. Urban One and Cox selected KROI and KTHT for divestiture, placing them into the Sugarland Station Trust. Subsequent negotiations for KROI involved a minority-owned broadcaster entering the market, which was later identified as Spanish Broadcasting System, acquiring the station for $7.5 million.
Radio Stations
As of May 2023, Urban One’s Radio One division manages a portfolio of 58 radio stations distributed across 13 distinct markets.
| Market | Station and Frequency | Acquisition Year | Format | Additional Information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | WAMJ 107.5 FM | 1998 | Urban adult contemporary | Station licensed to Roswell, Georgia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WHTA 107.9 FM | 2001 | Urban contemporary | Licensed in Hampton, Georgia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WPZE 102.5 FM | 2004 | Urban gospel | Licensed to Mableton, Georgia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WUMJ 97.5 FM | 1995 | Urban adult contemporary | Licensed in Fayetteville, Georgia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Baltimore | WERQ-FM 92.3 FM | 1993 | Urban contemporary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WOLB 1010 AM | Urban talk | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WWIN 1400 AM | Urban gospel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WWIN-FM 95.9 FM | 1992 | Urban adult contemporary | Licensed to Glen Burnie, Maryland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Charlotte | WBT 1110 AM | 2020 | News/Talk | WBT simulcasts with WBT-FM; WBT-FM licensed to Chester, South Carolina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WBT-FM 99.3 FM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WLNK 107.9 FM | 2020 | Hot adult contemporary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WFNZ 610 AM | 2020 | Urban contemporary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WFNZ-FM 92.7 FM | 1998 | Sports radio | Licensed in Harrisburg, North Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WOSF 105.3 FM | 2012 | Urban adult contemporary | Licensed to Gaffney, South Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WPZS 100.9 FM | 2004 | Urban gospel | Licensed to Indian Trail, North Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cincinnati | WDBZ 1230 AM | 2007 | Combination of Urban talk and urban contemporary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WIZF 101.1 FM | 1998 | Mainstream urban | Licensed in Erlanger, Kentucky | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WOSL 100.3 FM | 2006 | Urban oldies with an urban adult contemporary influence | Licensed to Norwood, Ohio | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cleveland | WENZ 107.9 FM | 1999 | Mainstream urban | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WERE 1490 AM | 2000 | Talk radio | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WJMO 1300 AM | 1999 | Featuring tropical music | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WZAK 93.1 FM | 2000 | Urban adult contemporary programming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Columbus, Ohio | WCKX 107.5 FM | Urban contemporary format | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WJYD 106.3 FM | Late 1990s | Urban gospel content | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WWLG 107.1 FM | 2015 | Regional Mexican/Spanish-language programming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WXMG 95.5 FM | 2015 | Urban adult contemporary format | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dallas/Fort Worth | KBFB 97.9 FM | 2000 | Urban contemporary format | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| KZMJ 94.5 FM | 2002 | Urban adult contemporary | Licensed in Gainesville, Texas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Houston | KBXX 97.9 FM | 2000 | Rhythmic contemporary music | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| KGLK 107.5 FM | 2023 | Classic rock genre | Simulcast with KHPT; licensed to Lake Jackson, Texas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| KHPT106.9 FM | 2023 | Classic rock format | Licensed in Conroe, Texas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| KKBQ92.9 FM | 2023 | Country music programming | Licensed in Pasadena, Texas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| KMJQ102.1 FM | 2000 | Urban adult contemporary with urban gospel on KMJQ-HD2 subchannel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indianapolis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WHHH100.9 FM | Urban contemporary format | Licensed in Speedway, Indiana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WIBC93.1 FM | 2022 | News/Talk programming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WLHK97.1 FM | 2022 | Country music format | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WTLC1310 AM | 2001 | Urban gospel content | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WTLC-FM106.7 FM | 2001 | Urban adult contemporary format | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WYXB105.7 FM | 2022 | Adult contemporary music | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| rowspan=3 | Philadelphia | WPPZ-FM107.9 FM | 2000 | Urban oldies genre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WRNB100.3 FM | 2001 | Urban adult contemporary format | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| rowspan=4 | Raleigh/Durham | WFXC/WFXK107.1/104.3 FM | 2000 | Urban adult contemporary; simulcast stations licensed to Durham and Bunn respectively | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WNNL103.9 FM | 2000 | Urban gospel programming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WQOK97.5 FM | 2000 | Urban contemporary format | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| rowspan=6 | Richmond | WCDX 92.1 FM | Urban contemporary programming | Licensed to Mechanicsville, Virginia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 'WKJM/WKJS 99 .3 /105 .7 FM ' | Urban adult contemporary; simulcast stations licensed to Petersburg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ' [ [WPZZ ] ] 104 .7FM ' | 1999 | Urban gospel content | Licensed to Crewe , Virginia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ' [ [WXGI ] ] 950 AM ' | 2017 | Classic hip hop; simulcast with WTPS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ' [ [WTPS (AM) ] ] 1240 AM ' | 2017 | Classic hip hop programming | Licensed to Petersburg , Virginia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| rowspan=6 | Washington , D.C . | ' [ [WKYS ] ] 93 .9FM ' | Early-1990s (?) | Urban contemporary format | -style =" vertical -align :top ; " | ' [ [WMMJ ] ] 102 .3FM | 1987 | Urban oldies leaning toward urban adult contemporary; simulcast with WDCJ | WMMJ licensed to Bethesda , Maryland | -style =" vertical -align :top ; " | ' [ [WDCJ ] ] 92 .7FM | 2017 | Urban oldies leaning toward urban adult contemporary | Licensed in Prince Frederick , Maryland | -style =" vertical -align :top ; " | ' [ [WOL (AM) ] ] 1450 AM | 1980 | Urban talk format | First asset acquired by Radio One and serves as flagship station | -style =" vertical -align :top ; " | ' [ [WPRS-FM] ] 104 .1FM | 2006 | Urban gospel programming | Licensed to Waldorf , Maryland | -style =" vertical -align :top ; " | ' WYCB 1340 AM | 1996 | Urban gospel content |
TV One Networks
The cable networks under the ownership of Urban One are operated by the division known as TV One Networks. On January 19, 2004, in collaboration with Comcast, the company launched the channel known as TV One, which centers on African American entertainment including lifestyle and scripted programming. In January of 2019, the portfolio was expanded with the addition of Cleo TV, aimed at millennial and Generation X African American women.
Interactive One
Established in 2008 as the digital media arm of Urban One, Interactive One (also referred to as iOne) oversees multiple online brands targeting African American communities such as NewsOne, The Urban Daily, and Hello Beautiful. By the year 2014, Interactive One attracted over eighteen million unique users monthly through more than eighty national and local digital platforms.
Strategic alliances have played a significant role in iOne’s expansion efforts. In 2011, it formed an editorial and advertising partnership between NewsOne and NBC News's The Grio platform. Two years later in 2013, it collaborated with Global Grind—a pop culture website founded by Russell Simmons—and subsequently acquired it in December of the following year. In addition, Interactive One launched HB Studios in 2015—a video production unit dedicated to creating both scripted and unscripted content focused on women of color—with distribution channels including iOne Women Channel, HelloBeautiful.com, YouTube, and Facebook.
Reach Media
Based in Texas and founded by radio personality Tom Joyner, Reach Media specializes in African American-targeted media content.
In November of 2004, Radio One secured a majority ownership stake of fifty-three percent in Reach Media through a $56.1 million transaction involving cash and stock consideration. This acquisition included control over Joyner’s syndicated program—the Tom Joyner Morning Show, which at that time was broadcast on one hundred fifteen stations reaching eight million listeners—as well as the news portal BlackAmericaWeb.com, thereby enhancing Radio One’s digital footprint.
The following year saw a joint initiative between Radio One and Reach Media launching an African American-focused talk radio network featuring Reverend Al Sharpton, broadening their syndicated programming across numerous stations.
By December of 2012, Radio One had increased its ownership interest in Reach Media to eighty percent and consolidated its urban syndication offerings by merging its "Syndication One" lineup into Reach Media during the subsequent year—strengthening its position within urban media syndication markets and reinforcing its business model for syndicated content distribution within this demographic segment.