Infamous Corporate Collapses Examined in New Podcast Spectacular Failures
Host Lauren Ober tells stories of corporate crookedness, family feuding and hilariously half-baked decisions
ST. PAUL, Minn., June 3, 2019 — American Public Media, in partnership with the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, will launch Spectacular Failures – a new business podcast about the greatest corporate catastrophes – on June 17.
Listen to the trailer here.
In SpectacularFailures, host Lauren Ober, award-winning creator of WAMU and NPR’s The Big Listen, and producerWhitney Jones, creator of the critically-acclaimed music podcast Pitch, dig into the causes of some of thebiggest business blunders and breakdowns.
Inthis 10-episode season, listeners get a front row seat to the mishandled launchof MoviePass, the criminal collapse of televangelists Jim and Tammy FayeBakker’s Heritage USA, and Kodak's not so picture-perfect descent into obsolescence,as well as many other stories of spectacular failures.
Ober hopes to provide audiences a new perspective on the many causes of corporate failure as well as its wide-ranging impacts.
“It might be sick to say it, but it’s true. We love hearing about failures,” said Ober. “Stories about business breakdowns capture our most basic human failings: greed, hubris, sometimes even criminal behavior. We’re trying to sniff out the universal [truth] that exists in all stories of corporate collapse and make those tales fun and engaging, with a little dash of attitude and a heap of charm.”
Jones says Spectacular Failures will “work tocombine the joy of The Big Listenwith the pop culture and historical exploration of Pitch. It applies that mixture to stories of business failure in away that makes them unpredictable and exciting.”
The program is made possible by Carlson School ofManagement at the University of Minnesota.
Listeners can find Spectacular Failures on Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms. Learn more at www.spectacularfailures.org.
###
About the Carlson School of Management
Established in 1919 and located in Minneapolis, the CurtisL. Carlson School of Management is part of the University of Minnesota, locatedin the Twin Cities vibrant business community comprised of 17 Fortune 500company headquarters. The Carlson School is recognized as a leader inbusiness education and research. Its focus on experiential learning,international education and its strong ties to the business community are justa few examples of the Carlson School’s commitment to excellence. Today,the Carlson School has 55,000+ alumni in over 100 countries, over 10 degreeprograms, and more than 140 tenure-track and full-time instructional faculty members.The school offers bachelors, master’s, MBA and doctoral degrees, as well asexecutive education programs hosted domestically and abroad.
AboutAmerican Public Media
American Public Media® is the national programmingdivision of Minnesota Public Radio® and reaches more than 19 millionlisteners via approximately 1,000 radio stations nationwide each week. APM isone of the largest producers and distributors of public radio programming inthe world, with a portfolio that includes BBC World Service, Marketplace®, andthe leading classical music programs in the nation. APM offers a diverse arrayof podcasts featuring the best in food, culture, entertainment, business andinvestigative journalism. For more information on APM, visit americanpublicmedia.org. Source: Data are copyright Nielsen Audio,Nationwide DMA data, Persons 12+, Fall ‘18. Data are estimates only.