2018 Awardee Profiles

Cathy Hughes is a dynamic media pioneer who demonstrates the power of one – one woman, one vision, one company – Urban One. As Founder and Chairperson of Urban One, Inc., Ms. Hughes has created the nation’s largest African-American multi-media conglomerate, generating original content across radio, television, and digital media.

Ms. Hughes began her radio career in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. In 1971, she moved to Washington to begin teaching at Howard University. She served as General Sales Manager and then as Vice President and General Manager of WHUR, Howard University Radio, where she created the format known as the “Quiet Storm.”

In 1980, Ms. Hughes purchased her flagship station WOL-AM in Washington and pioneered the format “24-Hour Talk from a Black Perspective.” She hosted the station’s morning show for 11 years.

With her son and business partner Alfred Liggins, III, she grew what was then Radio One into a publicly traded urban radio market leader with more than 60 stations across the country.

In May 2017, Radio One became Urban One, now the parent corporation of several subsidiaries: TV One, the largest African-American-owned cable television network in the country; Reach Media, which presents syndicated radio programming; iOne Digital, home of several popular websites; and One Solution, a marketing firm for all of the assets under the Urban One brand.

Ms. Hughes has earned hundreds of awards and recognitions. Among her many philanthropic efforts, she supports her family’s legacy at The Piney Woods School, an African-American boarding school established by her grandfather in 1909 in Piney Woods, Mississippi.

Chris Wallace is the anchor of “FOX News Sunday,” Fox Broadcasting Company’s Sunday morning public affairs program. He joined FOX News Channel (FNC) in 2003 and is based in Washington, D.C. In 2014, he marked his 50th year in the broadcasting industry.

Throughout his 14 years at FNC, Mr. Wallace has participated in coverage of nearly every major political event and has also secured several high-profile interviews with dignitaries and U.S. leaders, including presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama. Most recently, Mr. Wallace presented an exclusive interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin following the summit with President Trump in Helsinki, Finland.

In August 2015, Mr. Wallace co-moderated the first GOP presidential debate of the 2016 election cycle, the highest-rated non-sports cable telecast of all time. He also co-moderated the network’s second and third debates of the 2016 cycle.

Throughout his 50-plus years in broadcasting, Mr. Wallace has won every major broadcast news award for his reporting, including three Emmy Awards, the Dupont-Columbia Silver Baton, and the Peabody Award.

Before joining FNC, Mr. Wallace worked at ABC News for 14 years where he served as the senior correspondent for “Primetime Thursday” and a substitute host for “Nightline.”

Previously, Mr. Wallace served as NBC’s chief White House correspondent from 1982 to 1989. While at NBC, he covered the 1980, 1984, and 1988 presidential campaigns. Mr. Wallace moderated “Meet the Press” from 1987 to 1988, making him the only person to have hosted two Sunday talk shows. Mr. Wallace began his career at WNBC-TV in New York in 1975. He attended Harvard College.