WOL-AM, which stands for We Offer Love, is the flagship station of Radio One, Inc. After being rejected for a business loan 32 times, Cathy Hughes’ persistence paid off, and she purchased the station in 1980. Hughes moved WOL from it’s original home on Wisconsin Avenue, NE to 4th and H Street, NW. The move marked the beginning of Radio One, Inc. and the transformation of the 4th and H Street corridor. Today, Radio One is a multi-media conglomerate with more than 56 radio stations across the country comprised of talk/news, gospel, R & B, and hip-hop formats. IN HONOR of the impact of Cathy Hughes and Radio One on that Washington D. C. community the corner of 4th and Street will be named Cathy Hughes Way later this year.
Reality Radio
Armed with the mantra “Information is Power,” for more than 35 years, Cathy Hughes has been keeping the African-American community informed. “Reality Radio,” one of her signature trademarks, is a sixty second, power packed radio factoid designed to challenge, inform and inspire. It’s a reminder that the “reality” of many of the issues we face is not often as it appears under closer examination.