Communication Breakdown

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 insightful and valuable.

Communication Breakdown is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 96 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Communication Breakdown, a business show with 96 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #96

  Manifesto Mania!

  Aug 13, 202633 min

  In this episode of Communication Breakdown, hosts Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine what happens when powerful executives go direct in an effort to reshape public perception. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg uses a sweeping AI manifesto to argue for open access, personal empowerment, and a widely distributed AI future, while David Ellison takes to The New York Times to defend the Paramount-Warner deal and make the case that he can be trusted with CNN. Steve and Craig explore the widening gaps between executive claims, institutional conduct, and the evidence audiences use to decide what they believe. The discussion offers a timely lesson for communicators: executives can secure attention and frame an argument, but credibility ultimately depends on whether their actions warrant their claims. Takeaways Meta’s AI manifesto illustrates the credibility risk created when an organization’s promises about the future conflict with its institutional position, history, and current behavior. Meta’s public promises about AI-driven empowerment collide with employee questions about how productivity gains will actually be distributed. David Ellison’s assurances about editorial independence expose a gap between a claim and its warrant. Personal intentions offer less credibility than governance structures that constrain an owner’s ability to intervene. Topics Mentioned executive communications, corporate reputation, artificial intelligence, AI manifestos, open-source AI, open-weight models, executive credibility, trust, personal AI agents, mediatization, AI safety, cybersecurity, AI productivity, employee communications, data centers, job displacement, stakeholder risk, internal and external alignment, executive op-eds, mergers and acquisitions, antitrust, media relations, editorial independence, corporate governance, narrative control, claim and warrant, evidence asymmetry, newsroom governance, legacy media, borrowed legitimacy, stakeholder scrutiny Companies Mentioned Axios, Meta, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, OpenAI, Anthropic, TechCrunch, Harris Poll, Hugging Face, Business Insider, Amazon, Paramount Skydance, Warner Brothers, The New York Times, CNN, CBS, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Status, 60 Minutes, The Washington Post, Twitter Episode Hashtags #Meta #Facebook #WhatsApp #Instagram #OpenAI #Anthropic #Axios #TechCrunch #HuggingFace #BusinessInsider #Amazon #ParamountSkydance #WarnerBrothers #NewYorkTimes #CNN #CBS #WallStreetJournal #CNBC #WashingtonPost #Twitter #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #ExecutiveCommunications #CorporateCommunications #PublicRelations #CorporateReputation #Leadership #CrisisCommunications #MediaRelations #StakeholderTrust #CorporateGovernance #InternalCommunications #EditorialIndependence #NarrativeStrategy #ExecutiveCredibility #ShawnPNeal #AdvoCast #OCRNetwork Communication Breakdown is a production of the Observatory on Corporate Reputation . Hosted by Craig Carroll and Steve Dowling. Produced in partnership with Advocast Leadership Advisory and Shawn P Neal. For questions, feedback, or episode suggestions, reach out at podcasts@ocrnetwork.com

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  Episode #95

  Full Court Press

  Aug 6, 202633 min

  In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine how the WNBA has become the latest battleground in America's broader cultural debate after Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham's comments about transgender athletes ignited national controversy. Rather than debating the underlying political issue, the hosts focus on the league's communications challenge, exploring how outside groups can redirect public attention and force organizations into conversations they did not initiate. They introduce concepts like "narrative arbitrage," attention management, and governance infrastructure, offering a thoughtful framework for how organizations can maintain focus when external controversies threaten to redefine their identity. Takeaways Silence is not always inaction. Strategic restraint can prevent organizations from amplifying controversies beyond their proper scope. Public goodwill creates stakeholder expectations, making it critical to clarify the difference between organizational values and organizational policy. Leaders can lower the temperature of contentious debates by reframing where discussions belong Topics Mentioned WNBA, Sophie Cunningham, Caitlin Clark, transgender athletes, sports communications, corporate reputation, stakeholder expectations, narrative arbitrage, governance, crisis communications, organizational boundaries, public trust, culture wars, attention management, leadership communication, framing, media strategy Companies Mentioned WNBA, Indiana Fever, ESPN, White House, NCAA, Seattle Storm, Minnesota Lynx, SiriusXM Episode Hashtags #WNBA #IndianaFever #ESPN #WhiteHouse #NCAA #SeattleStorm #MinnesotaLynx #SiriusXM #CorporateCommunications #PublicRelations #CorporateReputation #CrisisCommunication #Leadership #StakeholderManagement #NarrativeStrategy #SportsBusiness #MediaRelations #ReputationManagement #StrategicCommunications #ShawnPNeal #AdvoCast #OCRNetwork Communication Breakdown is a production of the Observatory on Corporate Reputation . Hosted by Craig Carroll and Steve Dowling. Produced in partnership with Advocast Leadership Advisory and Shawn P Neal. For questions, feedback, or episode suggestions, reach out at podcasts@ocrnetwork.com

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  Episode #94

  Off the Menu

  Jul 30, 202633 min

  In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine two very different corporate communications challenges. First, they explore why Cracker Barrel's business appeared to be recovering while CEO Julie Masino's leadership did not, unpacking the difference between repairing operational performance and repairing executive credibility. They then turn to Taco Bell's response to the largest Cyclospora outbreak in U.S. history, contrasting its measured crisis response with Taylor Farms' increasingly defensive communications strategy. Along the way, they introduce concepts like return on mission, attention cost, category contamination, and the difference between operational containment and communicative containment, offering practical lessons for communications leaders navigating reputation under pressure. Takeaways A company's operational recovery does not automatically restore confidence in the executive associated with the original crisis. Crisis communications should evolve beyond apology into a credible recovery narrative that demonstrates learning, progress, and continued leadership. Operational containment protects the business, but communicative containment helps restore public confidence and reduce uncertainty. Topics Mentioned Corporate reputation, CEO credibility, executive communications, crisis communications, return on mission, return on investment, operational containment, communicative containment, category contamination, food safety, product recalls, corporate governance, customer trust, recovery narratives, stakeholder communications, media strategy, board governance, leadership visibility Companies Mentioned Cracker Barrel, Taco Bell, CNN, Glenn Beck, CCO Dispatch, Taylor Farms, FDA, McDonald's Episode Hashtags #CrackerBarrel #TacoBell #TaylorFarms #McDonalds #CorporateCommunications #PublicRelations #CrisisCommunications #CorporateReputation #ExecutiveCommunications #Leadership #CEO #FoodSafety #ProductRecall #StakeholderTrust #BrandReputation #CorporateGovernance #IssuesManagement #RiskCommunication #ShawnPNeal #AdvoCast #OCRNetwork Communication Breakdown is a production of the Observatory on Corporate Reputation . Hosted by Craig Carroll and Steve Dowling. Produced in partnership with Advocast Leadership Advisory and Shawn P Neal. For questions, feedback, or episode suggestions, reach out at podcasts@ocrnetwork.com

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  Episode #93

  A Midsummer Night’s Clip Show

  Jul 23, 202635 min

  In this special summer edition of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll revisit three of the season's most impactful conversations, each offering enduring lessons for corporate communicators. From eBay's decisive rejection of GameStop's acquisition bid, to Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters' AI communications misstep, to a broader discussion about why communications teams often operate in the wrong sequence, the episode explores how judgment, credibility, and organizational influence shape corporate reputation. Together, these conversations reinforce a central theme, that effective communication is less about saying more and more about saying the right thing at the right moment. Takeaways eBay demonstrated that brevity carries authority when it is backed by clear business judgment and disciplined messaging. Executive comments about AI and workforce changes require empathy first, because audiences interpret language through existing fears and uncertainty. Communications teams create greater strategic value when they participate before decisions are finalized rather than simply explaining them afterward. Topics Mentioned Corporate communications, corporate reputation, mergers and acquisitions, executive communication, AI communications, workforce automation, crisis communication, strategic communications, organizational alignment, governance, leadership credibility, stakeholder trust, narrative control, communications strategy, communications function, business judgment Companies Mentioned GameStop, eBay, CNBC, Standard Chartered, NVIDIA, Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Shell, Greenpeace Episode Hashtags #GameStop #eBay #CNBC #StandardChartered #NVIDIA #Boeing #AlaskaAirlines #Shell #Greenpeace #CorporateCommunications #CorporateReputation #PublicRelations #ExecutiveCommunications #CrisisCommunications #ArtificialIntelligence #Leadership #Governance #StakeholderTrust #NarrativeControl #StrategicCommunications #ShawnPNeal #AdvoCast #OCRNetwork Communication Breakdown is a production of the Observatory on Corporate Reputation . Hosted by Craig Carroll and Steve Dowling. Produced in partnership with Advocast Leadership Advisory and Shawn P Neal. For questions, feedback, or episode suggestions, reach out at podcasts@ocrnetwork.com

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  Episode #92

  Defenestration

  Jul 16, 202633 min

  In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine how Ryanair reduced a terrifying in-flight emergency to the language of a routine scheduling disruption. They compare the airline’s statement with the more human responses from Boeing and CFM International, exploring the difference between legal accuracy and narrative adequacy, and what executive presence signals during a crisis. Then, they turn to Meta’s short-lived Muse Image feature, which allowed users to generate AI content from public Instagram photos without affirmative consent or notification. The discussion reveals how passive language, product design, default permissions, and organized stakeholder power can expose the governing logic behind a company’s communications. Takeaways A statement can remain technically accurate while presenting an account that is materially smaller than the event people experienced. Crisis communicators must balance speed and factual certainty without using caution as a reason to minimize human consequences. Words such as “dislodged,” “landed normally,” and “requested medical assistance” can weaken credibility when they understate the severity of an incident. Topics Mentioned Crisis communication, narrative adequacy, factual compression, narrative distortion, corporate responsibility, passenger safety, executive visibility, leadership communication, stakeholder trust, legal accuracy, passive language, institutional legitimacy, operating permission, artificial intelligence, image rights, affirmative consent, opt-in systems, privacy settings, product governance, claims perception and reality, user control, stakeholder power, organized advocacy, reputation management, Friday news releases Companies Mentioned Ryanair, Boeing, CFM International, GE, Meta, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, SAG-AFTRA, OpenAI, CAA, Puck Episode Hashtags #Ryanair #Boeing #CFMInternational #GE #Meta #Facebook #WhatsApp #Instagram #TikTok #SAGAFTRA #OpenAI #CAA #Puck #CrisisCommunication #CorporateCommunications #PublicRelations #CorporateReputation #NarrativeAdequacy #ReputationManagement #ExecutiveCommunications #LeadershipCommunication #StakeholderManagement #StakeholderTrust #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #DataPrivacy #DigitalConsent #ProductGovernance #ImageRights #ShawnPNeal #AdvoCast #OCRNetwork Communication Breakdown is a production of the Observatory on Corporate Reputation . Hosted by Craig Carroll and Steve Dowling. Produced in partnership with Advocast Leadership Advisory and Shawn P Neal. For questions, feedback, or episode suggestions, reach out at podcasts@ocrnetwork.com

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