Atlas District in Northeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Cathy Hughes
Multi-Media & Radio Pioneer
— Hub, Home, Heart: Greater H Street NE Heritage Trail —
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 27, 2017
1. Cathy Hughes Marker
Inscription.
Cathy Hughes and WOL-AM have made an indelible mark on this Washington D.C. community. In 1982, Hughes purchased a building at the corner of 4th and H Streets and found it littered with almost 200 hypodermic needles and crack pipes. The home of her first radio station had been used, for years, as a drug den. The surrounding community was still struggling to recover from the riots that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968. Residents and merchants knew something significant was taking place when station vans, with the WOL logo, pulled into the neighborhood. It was clear that Cathy Hughes was committed to the revitalization of the H Street corridor and adjoining neighborhoods because WOL-AM became the very first, major business to relocate to the area., With a group of volunteers, Hughes worked tirelessly, transforming the building into a functioning radio station and resource center for the community. Three large picture windows were cut into the one story, brick, rectangular building, allowing residents to observe media at work, at all times. The station became known as “RADIOVISION,” and crowds routinely came out to meet and greet politicians, celebrities and entertainers who visited the station. Cathy Hughes partnered with local businesses, sponsored community initiatives and festivals and created programs, which helped many of the residents to get back on their feet. WOL, an acronym for “We Offer Love,” allowed Hughes to combine her love for radio and the black community. WOL-AM positioned her to create positive change, pride and progress in the northeast H Street corridor., Armed with her slogan “information is power,” Hughes kept her listeners informed and tackled tough issues facing the community on the “Cathy Hughes Morning Show.” She employed many local residents, several of whom lived close enough to walk to work, and taught them the business of radio. WOL was also singularly responsible for taking “Go Go” music, D.C.’s own popular, homegrown, musical genre, and elevating it to a national level., With humble beginnings here in northeast Washington D.C., Cathy Hughes went from H Street to Wall Street after WOL-AM became the birthplace of Radio One, Inc. By 2016, Radio One was a multimedia conglomerate with more than 56 radio stations across the country comprised of talk/news, gospel, R&B, and hip-hop formats. It has diversified and branched out into television and digital media and is the parent corporation of the subsidiaries TV One, Reach Media, Interactive One, and One Solution. Hughes’ media corporation is now the largest African-American owned business of its kind in the country; yet Hughes still credits her neighbors at 4th and H Street NE helping her to lay her foundation.
Cathy Hughes and WOL-AM have made an indelible mark on this Washington D.C. community. In 1982, Hughes purchased a building at the corner of 4th and H Streets and found it littered with almost 200 hypodermic needles and crack pipes. The home of her first radio station had been used, for years, as a drug den. The surrounding community was still struggling to recover from the riots that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968. Residents and merchants knew something significant was taking place when station vans, with the WOL logo, pulled into the neighborhood. It was clear that Cathy Hughes was committed to the revitalization of the H Street corridor and adjoining neighborhoods because WOL-AM became the very first, major business to relocate to the area.
With a group of volunteers, Hughes worked tirelessly, transforming the building into a functioning radio station and resource center for the community. Three large picture windows were cut into the one story, brick, rectangular building, allowing residents to observe media at work, at all times. The station became known as “RADIOVISION,” and crowds routinely came out to meet and greet politicians, celebrities and entertainers who visited the station. Cathy Hughes partnered with local businesses, sponsored community initiatives and festivals
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and created programs, which helped many of the residents to get back on their feet. WOL, an acronym for “We Offer Love,” allowed Hughes to combine her love for radio and the black community. WOL-AM positioned her to create positive change, pride and progress in the northeast H Street corridor.
Armed with her slogan “information is power,” Hughes kept her listeners informed and tackled tough issues facing the community on the “Cathy Hughes Morning Show.” She employed many local residents, several of whom lived close enough to walk to work, and taught them the business of radio. WOL was also singularly responsible for taking “Go Go” music, D.C.’s own popular, homegrown, musical genre, and elevating it to a national level.
With humble beginnings here in northeast Washington D.C., Cathy Hughes went from H Street to Wall Street after WOL-AM became the birthplace of Radio One, Inc. By 2016, Radio One was a multimedia conglomerate with more than 56 radio stations across the country comprised of talk/news, gospel, R&B, and hip-hop formats. It has diversified and branched out into television and digital media and is the parent corporation of the subsidiaries TV One, Reach Media, Interactive One, and One Solution. Hughes’ media corporation is now the largest African-American owned business of its kind in the country; yet
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, December 27, 2017
2. Cathy Hughes Marker (reverse)
Hughes still credits her neighbors at 4th and H Street NE helping her to lay her foundation.
Erected by Cultural Tourism DC. (Marker Number 19.)
Location. 38° 54.007′ N, 77° 0.042′ W. Marker is in Northeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in the Atlas District. Marker is at the intersection of H Street Northeast and 4th Street Northeast, on the right when traveling east on H Street Northeast. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 337 H Street Northeast, Washington DC 20002, United States of America. Touch for directions.
The "Cathy Hughes Morning Show" was a staple program on WOL-AM. Her guests could be seen every morning, live on the air, through a window that looked in from the corner of 4th and H Streets. Neighbors nicknamed it RadioVision. Photo courtesy of Radio One.
6. Cathy Hughes
Cathy Hughes was a voice and champion for the residents of the 4th and H Street corridor. Many of her employees lived in the neighborhood and walked to work daily. Photo courtesy of Radio One.
7. WOL 1450 Am
WOL-AM was known as the Soul Rocker for broadcasting live from the rooftop of the station. Photo courtesy of Radio One.
Photographed By Roy Lewis
8. Cathy Hughes w/ Dick Gregory and Mark Lane
Cathy Hughes interviews Dick Gregory shortly after the 1968 riots. Photo courtesy of Radio One.
9. 4th & H Streets
The corner of 4th and H Streets, NE became a focal point of this community after WOL-AM, which stands for "We Offer Love" moved here in 1980. Photo courtesy of Radio One.
10. Greater H Street NE Heritage Trail
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 28, 2017, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 850 times since then and 184 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on December 28, 2017, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. submitted on December 29, 2017.