Seventy thousand five hundred twenty-one. That’s how many news stories included Andy Byron’s name after one juicy Jumbotron moment at a Coldplay concert. In this episode of The PR Breakdown, dissecting how a viral moment spiraled into a corporate PR disaster that exposed a CEO, an HR chief, and a total breakdown in communication control. What made this stor ... Show More
Sep 25
King Charles and Charles Spencer: Name the Move
Buckingham Palace does not comment on books. It has said so for a hundred years. Last week it said it again, inside a comment on a book.Charles Spencer, Diana's brother, writes that Charles sounded "giddily elated" on a phone call after Diana died. That is his account, and nobody ... Show More
46m 2s
Sep 18
Ed Sheeran Stood In The Middle of Macklemore and Kraft And Became The Headline
Three television news networks asked Molly McPherson to break down the Macklemore, Ed Sheeran and Robert Kraft story this week. She said no to all three. Not because it is not a story, but because the frame they wanted turns a crisis communication lesson into a verdict on a war, ... Show More
50m 34s
Sep 2023
Why do festivals keep ending in disaster?
Throughout the summer, the headlines have been dotted with large-scale events going awry. What’s driving the increase in chaos? Plus: Clorox gets hacked, Katy Perry cashes in, and $1.7T screw up.
Join our hosts Sara Friedman and Ben Berkley as they take you through our most inte ... Show More
12m 1s
Feb 2022
Spotify’s Joe Rogan problem
The podcast host built a massive audience by speaking to fringe figures in culture, business, and science. During the pandemic, that got him in trouble with Neil Young, among others.
This episode was produced by Will Reid and Amina Al-Sadi, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by ... Show More
32m 25s
Nov 2022
Twitter news, Alexa blues, and World Cup booze
It was a wild weekend at Twitter HQ. What happened? Plus: Budweiser gets snubbed at the World Cup, Amazon's Alexa may be losing her voice, prison time for Elizabeth Holmes, and a whole lot more.
Join our host Jacob Cohen as he takes you through our most interesting stories of the ... Show More
11m 14s
Jul 2025
Stephen Colbert's Overdue Dismissal, Coldplay Couple's Shame Spiral, and Billy Joel's Untold Stories
<p>Maureen unloads on pompous Stephen Colbert, his exit from CBS and how this could be the first domino to fall in the entire late night franchise. She also peels back another layer on the Coldplay couple scandal and the elitist message this affair sent to the rest of the company ... Show More
1h 18m