{"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://ocrnetwork.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":86,"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":"2026-06-05T04:21:27.467075+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931"},"episode":{"title":"The Outspoken Olympians","slug":"the-outspoken-olympians","published_at":"2026-02-12T14:00:02+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931/the-outspoken-olympians","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/communication-breakdown-7019931","url":"https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-outspoken-olympians--70003884","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/70003884/ep_70_the_outspoken_olympians.mp3","summary":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine three threads that dominated the week: U.S. Olympic athletes speaking on America while competing in Milan, the privacy backlash to Ring’s Super Bowl ad, and the manufactured outrage around Bad Bunny’s halftime performance. The hosts contrast the athletes’ coherent, values-based messaging with corporate leaders who struggle to sound human while protecting institutional risk. They also show how amplification does not always equal consequence, and why companies must measure impact, not noise. Takeaways Athletes combined pride and principled critique, showing how clear personal framing lowers heat and preserves credibility. Institutional leaders face different constraints; they must sound human while protecting employees, investors, and regulatory exposure. Message discipline matters more than blunt moralizing. Media training and bridging worked: athletes moved narrow policy questions to civic principles, which neutralized accusations of being anti-American. Topics Mentioned Olympic athletes, free speech, patriotism, media training, message discipline, institutional stewardship, employee activism, Salesforce, Palantir, surveillance, Ring, Amazon, Flock Safety, privacy, Nest, Super Bowl advertising, halftime shows, Bad Bunny, counter-programming, Puppy Bowl, amplification versus impact, crisis communications, reputation management Companies Mentioned White House, NBC, US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Salesforce, Wired, Palantir, Ring, Amazon, 404 Media, We Rate Dogs, Flock Safety, ICE, Google Nest, Capgemini, Turning Point USA, Real Americas Voice, FCC, Cracker Barrel, Puppy Bowl, NFL, CBS Episode Hashtags #WhiteHouse #NBC #USOlympicCommittee #Salesforce #Wired #Palantir #Ring #Amazon #4…","meta_description":"In this episode of Communication Breakdown, Steve Dowling and Craig Carroll examine three threads that dominated the week: U.S. Olympic athletes speaking…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1660,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/communication-breakdown-7019931/episodes/the-outspoken-olympians/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/the-outspoken-olympians.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}