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Communication Breakdown

Observatory on Corporate Reputation LLC

Communication Breakdown is a postgame show for PR pros. In each episode, hosts Craig Carroll (Founder of the Observatory on Corporate Reputation, Editor of the SAGE Encyclopedia of Corporate Reputation, Lecturer at Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business) and Steve Dowling (former head of communications at OpenAI and Apple) discuss the strategies and tactics companies are using in high-visibility crises and PR initiatives, giving listeners unique insight into how key decisions are made. The podcast offers two unique perspectives on communications theory and practice, drawing on Craig’s research and teaching on reputation at USC Annenberg, UNC Chapel Hill, and universities worldwide, and Steve’s two decades of experience as a comms leader at some of the world’s most influential companies. Whether you’re a PR professional, marketing executive, or just curious about how companies make key communications decisions, you’ll find these discussions in

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Episodes

108 episodes

  1. The Midterms 27:55
  2. (Almost) Everything We Could See 33:38
  3. Bad Calls, Losing Bets and Non-Answers 32:24
  4. Mixed Messages and Second Takes 33:43
  5. Cornell’s Reckoning, Algorithmic ‘Gouging’ 35:56
  6. Reorg, Reject, Retouch 24:24
  7. All Apologies 26:13
  8. You Ought Not Be In Pictures 31:27
  9. Episode 100 29:43
  10. Long-time listeners, first-time callers 36:04
  11. Return on Mission 31:48
  12. Fixing Flock’s Blind Spot 28:01
  13. Manifesto Mania! 33:17
  14. Full Court Press 33:17
  15. Off the Menu 33:17
  16. A Midsummer Night’s Clip Show 34:30
  17. Defenestration 33:12
  18. I Do / Undo 28:22
  19. …and the home of the brave 39:11
  20. Comms on Three Continents 28:21
  21. Beast Mode 30:50
  22. Missives You Might’ve Missed 34:41
  23. bp’s Big Problem 22:43
  24. “Lower-Value Human Capital” 30:50
  25. The AI Commencement 29:28
  26. Of Maersk and Men 30:25
  27. GameStop’s faceplant, Wells Fargo’s comeback 30:00
  28. United plants a flag, IBM waves one 32:33
  29. Chief Exposure Officer 29:47
  30. Special Deliveries 31:55
  31. Context is King 23:14
  32. Spring Break Bonanza 26:45
  33. Friendly skies vs. strong headwinds 31:21
  34. Chalamet’s Choke, Daryl’s Splash 34:18
  35. McMisfire 29:33
  36. Iran, Earnings, and … TACOs? 29:20
  37. Tariff Turnabout, Milan Meltdown 23:11
  38. Silence & Subpoenas 28:34
  39. The Outspoken Olympians 27:40
  40. The Reputation Super Bowl 30:45
  41. Minnesota CEOs miss the mark 34:11
  42. Davos TACO, “Idiots” Feud 30:51
  43. ICE paints a target on Target 27:46
  44. New Year, New Challenges 28:25
  45. Resisting Without Escalating: 2025 in Review 27:58
  46. Susie Wiles’ star turn 34:05
  47. He’s Back... 24:14
  48. Costco targets tariffs, tech throws tantrum 26:05
  49. Thanks for (saying) nothing 34:25
  50. 50 Ways to Botch Your Layoffs 27:26