Media
Chronology
1986 Oprah Winfrey (b. January 29, 1954) an American media proprietor and philanthropists, was the first to form and create her own television and film production company (Harpo Productions in 1986) and additionally was the first to become a billionaire.
1999 Cathy Hughes (b. 1947) a popular media mogul is the first black woman in the U.S. to head the largest African American owned broadcast company, Radio One, (founded in 1980), which owns and operates over 55 stations nationwide, TV One (a cable television network) and Interactive One (a digital publisher). Radio One whose stock (Symbol: ROIA) is publicly-traded on an exchange became public in 1999.
2002 Linda Johnson Rice (May 22, 1958), was the first to be named chief executive officer of Johnson Publishing Company in 2002, a company listed among the top five of the Black Enterprise 100s, the nation’s largest black-owned companies.
2004 Shonda Rhimes (b. 1970), a writer and producer, was the first to create and produce a top TV Series, Grey’s Anatomy in 2004.
2009 Robin Roberts (b. 1960) an anchor for ABC’s, ’Good Morning America,’ was the first journalist to interview President Barack Obama after his inauguration in 2009.
Cathy Hughes
Shonda Rhimes
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