PRmoment Podcast

In the latest PRmoment Podcast news review, host Ben Smith sits down with PR heavyweights Mark Borkowski and Angie Moxham to dissect a packed agenda covering political downfalls, tech trillionaires, and sports geopolitics. Before diving in, Smith drops a crucial reminder to secure tickets for the upcoming PR in AI Masterclass, featuring an incredible lineup available both face-to-face and virtually.

The Politics of War and a Leadership Vacuum

The discussion kicks off with the unraveling of Keir Starmer’s leadership following high-profile exits like John Healy over defence budget shortfalls. Angie Mo...

In the May 2026 edition of the PRmoment Podcast, host Ben Smith sits down with new business maestro Andrew Bloch (AAR, PCB Partners) to dissect a shifting UK communications landscape. The overarching theme of the month highlights a widening divide between agencies riding massive waves of momentum and those experiencing localized, procurement-driven hesitation.

Before diving into the market data, Ben shares two critical industry diary dates for your radar:

AI in PR Masterclass (July 2nd, 2026): Titled The Age of Algorithms, Predictive Analytics, and Risk, this event is a comprehensive guide to navigating future-facing tech. Secure...

In this episode of the PRmoment Podcast, Ben Smith and Will Hart, CEO of PRmoment Leaders, engage in a timely debate surrounding the structural integration of public relations and artificial intelligence. 

Moving decisively past the initial "experimental" phase where practitioners simply played with basic prompts, the industry has rapidly arrived at a critical juncture. Today's leaders are forced to confront foundational organizational design questions, evolving agency structures, and entirely new talent profiles.

While Hart highlights the profound excitement of being able to fundamentally rethink traditional operational workflows, Smith offers a grounded counter-perspective: the core objective o...

In this week's edition of the News Review on the PRmoment podcast, host Ben Smith, is joined by industry heavyweights Mark Borkowski and Angie Moxham to dissect one of the most significant political crisis management events of the year: 

Nicola Sturgeon’s high-stakes sit-down interview with Laura Kuenssberg on the BBC. Following her estranged husband Peter Murrell’s recent guilty plea to embezzling over £400,000 from the SNP, the former First Minister faced an intense 55-minute interrogation aimed at shifting the narrative from political complicity to personal betrayal.

Ben kicks off the discussion by questioning whether the in...

On this PRmoment podcast today we're chatting about the Nils Leonardgate.

Is comparing earned media creativity and paid media creativity pointless?

I normally have this debate internally in my own head when I watch the annual PR/ad creative bun fight at Cannes but it's come a bit early this year following Uncommon founder Nils Leonard's latest activation of his "let's start a fight' strategy where he says: "The PR industry should be scared, not just of Uncommon but in general."

We’ll also discuss to what extent paid media creative and earned me...

In this episode of the PRmoment Podcast, host Ben Smith sits down with Will Hart, CEO of PRmoment Leaders, to unpack the four most pressing leadership challenges facing senior agency executives. As agencies navigate an era characterized by unprecedented disruption, Hart highlights how leaders are balancing day-to-day business survival with systemic shifts in technology and workforce culture.

Key Themes

AI Disruption & Governance: Artificial Intelligence is the most pervasive topic across agency masterclasses. The challenge has evolved from initial existential panic to practical governance—determining how to safely integrate AI into client services, ag...

Stay Ahead of the Comms Curve! As discussed in this week's news review, modern public relations requires a bold, adaptive approach to narrative building and corporate communication. To ensure your skills remain razor-sharp in an evolving digital landscape, don't miss PRmoment's AI in PR Masterclass. Learn how to ethically and effectively leverage cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools to supercharge your campaigns, streamline insights, and manage modern brand reputations. 👉 Secure your spot today: PRmoment's AI in PR Masterclass

Authentic executive communication vs. corporate sanitisation The podcast opens with a fascinating critique of...

In this episode of the PRmoment Podcast, host Ben Smith sits down with the industry’s veteran commentators, Mark Borkowski and Angie Moxham, to dissect the shifting boundaries of media integrity, agency workflows, and national political communication. Together, the panel delivers a timely analysis of an industry facing an existential crisis of trust.

Here's the link to PRmoment's PR Masterclass AI in PR.

1. The threat AI "make-believe" journalists

The episode kicks off with a sobering discussion centered on tech journalist Rob Waugh's latest reporting in the Press Gazette. Waugh exposes an in...

This latest PRmoment podcast with Grayling's Tom Symondson explores AI integration in public relations.

Tom simplifies the process into 3 themes:

AI Integration and Strategy
Agencies will implement AI by prioritizing internal efficiency and service innovation. Implementation success requires depth over breadth to maximize impact.

Human Augmentation and Risks
AI should serve as an augmentation tool to support experts rather than replacing critical thinking. Teams must guard against efficiency-focused work becoming low quality.

Operationalizing AI Implementation
Agencies should decentralize AI expertise by embedding...

This PRmoment podcast looks at the PR pitch market in the UK and the PR M&A activity for April 2026.

PRmoment founder Ben Smith interviews Andrew Bloch.

Andrew also runs the advisory firm Andrew Bloch & Associates.

Pitch Market - 
Trading has been generally positive and the market remains resilient, with many agencies out performing expectations. However, operational pressures are evident, including slower client response times and higher-than-expected inflation causing rising costs and impacting profitability. Transparent conversations around value, output, and outcomes are becoming increasingly critical as both sides navigate a more complex a...

Welcome to the News Review on the PRmoment podcast. In this weekly show I’m joined by Mark Borkowski and Angie Moxham. Here's the agenda for PR Masterclass: AI in PR.

In the PR News Review we look at the biggest news stories of the week from a PR perspective and this week we're talking about the UK local elections results.

We discuss the predictably huge gains for Reform and the huge losses for Labour.

We also talk about the likely comms strategies now for Farage & Reform and Starmer & Labour.

The di...

We probably don’t talk about it enough but we’ve all benefited from the increased depth and breadth of public relations which has developed over the past 20 odd years. 

This change has probably been most vividly illustrated in consumer public relations. Which is why it's going to be so interesting to talk to today's guests: Charlotte Brooks MD, Mischief and Dan Deeks-Osbourn, head of strategy, Mischief as we compare consumer PR now, to 20 years ago, when Mischief was born.

Mischief is one of a small band of consumer PR shops in London that have surfe...

A PRmoment Podcast discussion analysing Sir Keir Starmer's failing leadership.

Starmer's leadership critique
Angie Moxham and Mark Borkowski identify poor messaging and lack of decisiveness as fundamental failures in Starmer's administration. Leadership weakness is exacerbated by Machiavellian advisors and poor personnel choices.

Political succession forecast
Analysts predicted brutal local election losses and a potential leadership contest between Miliband and Rayner. Burnham remains a viable alternative but lacks immediate procedural positioning.

Authenticity and system future
Success requires charisma and accountability, qualities deemed lacking in current...

Today we’re chatting to Zeno’s Sarah Ogden and Thomas Bunn about its Clarity 2030 report. The report identifies a fundamental shift in the PR sector suggesting we are moving from the "Information Age" (where PR focused on distribution and volume) to the "Intelligence Age" (where PR must focus on strategic counsel and business outcomes).

The report suggests PR has a Readiness Gap - in essence it is saying that currently public relations does not possess the skills required for the future this report predicts.

This is a study across N America, Europe and Asia.

Welcome to the PRmoment podcast and on the show today we’re chatting to Jim Donaldson about the news that WPP might sell Burson.

Previously Jim was CEO UK and Middle East at Fleishman and held senior roles at both Weber Shandwick and Hill & Knowlton. He is now a non-exec to a raft of independent PR firms including Woodrow, Schon&Co and Matlin PR.

Before we start, don't miss our new PR Masterclass: AI in PR.

Check out the full speaker line-up at  https://www.prmasterclasses.com/masterclass/pr-masterclasses-ai-in-pr

At PRmoment we...

This week's PR News review covered Donald Trump's foreign policy, the resulting and global chaos before moving on to disucss NASA's Artemis mission for its public relations.

Trump's foreign policy rhetoric
Mark Borkowski and Ben Smith centered on whether Donald Trump's actions were aimed at selling war or peace?

Borkowski argued that Trump failed in the propaganda war with Iran by not achieving a clean exit.

Global vulnerability, the Axis of chaos and increased defense spending
Participants discussed the global chaos caused by single figures and the...

Summary

This PRmoment Podcast discussion with James Thomlinson centered on the theme of agency paralysis within the PR industry due to economic pressures and the increasing complexity - of both the PR market and the PR agency business model.

Agency paralysis discussed
James Thomlinson argues that agency paralysis is a trend within the Public Relations industry caused by increased simultaneous pressures and the extensive number of required leadership decisions. These decisions cover flexible working policies, AI platform adoption, strategic sector choices, and new offerings for the business.

...