{"podcast":{"title":"Communication Breakdown","slug":"communication-breakdown-7019931","podcast_index_feed_id":7019931,"rss_url":"https://www.spreaker.com/show/6301456/episodes/feed","website_url":"https://corporateobservatory.com/podcasts/communication-breakdown","image_url":"https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/bb1654c4c2ff3f77a3c1f292f51b3d52.jpg","author":"Observatory on Corporate Reputation LLC","episode_count":100,"summary":"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.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-11T02:22:07.181025+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931"},"episode":{"title":"Full Court Press","slug":"full-court-press","published_at":"2026-08-06T13:00:03+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931/full-court-press","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/full-court-press--73530777","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73530777/ep_95_full_court_press.mp3","summary":"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 #Stakeholde…","meta_description":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine how the WNBA has become the latest battleground in America's broader c…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1997,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/communication-breakdown-7019931/episodes/full-court-press/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931/full-court-press.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}