PRmoment Podcast

This week's PRmoment Podcast reviews UK PR pitch activity, agency M&A, and market trends across the summer and September 2026. Overall, the tone is constructive: the market remains busy, clients are still commissioning briefs, and agencies are finding opportunity in both broad integrated mandates and deeper specialist work. The main challenge is not a lack of demand, but converting that d...

In this week's PRmoment News Review, host Ben Smith and guests Mark Borkowski and Angie Moxham covered four PR stories: Earl Spencer's book, Harry and Meghan, Andy Burnham's visit to Trump Land, and Ed Sheeran's tour controversy. Charles Spencer's book Mark said Swan Song: Diana, My Sister had huge publicity, helped by the Mail serialisation and a Laura Kuenssberg intervie...

With 100 Days of 2026  to go, Warren Johnson founder of W Communications and PRmoment Podcast host Ben Smit discuss 2026 so far, and look ahead to Q4 and 2027. The PRmoment podcast is produced in association with the Markettiers Network Warren Johnson's verdict on 2026 so far is blunt: " Indies up, networks down ."  He argues independents have had a strong year while the big network...

This edition of the PRmoment News Review, hosted by Ben Smith with Angie Moxham and Mark Borkowski, worked through four stories that each turned on the same question: what communications can and cannot fix. The Sussexes opened the show, and both guests pushed back hard on the week's dominant narrative. Borkowski said he felt "incredibly sorry" for the couple's comms team and re...

Nigel Farage’s latest scandal and Andy Burnham’s six-week report card dominate this PRmoment News Review, as Ben Smith quizzes Angie Moxham and Mark Borkowski on what the fallout means for UK politics and political communications. Here are some quotes from this week's show: "We woke up to the classic investigating journalist scam of trapping Nigel Farage and his two closest aides in a pu...

This PRmoment News Review opens with Ben Smith framing three big themes of the week: the return of Harry and Meghan to the UK, Meta’s eye‑watering $18 billion settlement with dozens of US states, and an uneasy communications environment around Russia, Ukraine and NATO.  Here are some highlights from this week's episode: “Harry is built for purpose, he’s built for service, and being stuck out...

Mark Borkowski returns to the PRmoment Podcast’s news review with Ben Smith to unpack how the UK’s recent wildfires expose not just a climate crisis, but a communications one.  The pair start from a shared frustration: despite record temperatures and terrifying imagery of homes engulfed in flames, too much coverage still skirts around climate change and instead reaches for more comfortable or dist...

The August edition of the PRmoment podcas t’s UK pitches, mergers and acquisitions round‑up is steeped in cautious‑no‑more optimism. Host Ben Smith is joined, as ever, by AAR lead consultant and PCB Partners deal‑maker Andrew Bloch, who declares that the market mood has decisively shifted.  Don't forget to get your tickets for the Creative Moment Awards , coming up in September. Bloch reports...

Matt Neale’s return to the PRmoment Podcast is framed by one big question: what does scale, data and AI actually mean for the future of PR – and where does Golin Ketchum sit in that evolving landscape? Beore we start the interview with Matt, one quick plug, The Creative Moment Awards always sell out, partly because it's an intimate venue, so if you want to come, best to get your ticket quick!...

This episode of the PRmoment News Review frames Andy Burnham not just as a skilled communicator, but as a potential reset figure in UK political communications, operating in a structurally hostile environment. Ben Smith positions the discussion around a pivotal political moment – Burnham’s ascent to national leadership – and asks whether he is “more than a better communicator than Keir Starmer.” A...

The episode of the PRmoment Podcast titled “PR Pitch Hacks” features host Ben Smith in conversation with agency Hannah Sharratt of Axe & Saw, exploring how PR pitching currently works and how it should evolve.  Ben opens by noting that pitching, alongside timesheets and AVE, is one of the most emotive issues in PR, with recent years marked by excessively long shortlists, reverse pitch auctions...

In this episode of the PRmoment Podcast’s weekly news review, Ben Smith is joined by Angie Moxon and Mark Borkowski for a wide‑ranging discussion spanning British politics, football, FIFA’s reputation, and Wimbledon. The conversation opens with what Angie has dubbed “the politics of farce” , focusing on Nigel Farage, the Reform party, Count Binface, and the Clacton by‑election. Angie predicts Coun...

In this episode of the PRmoment Podcast News Review, Ben Smith steers a sharp conversation with Mark Borkowski and Angie Moxham about one big idea: expectation management as a core comms discipline, using England at the World Cup and Andy Burnham as parallel case studies. "We've been in a melee of misery with Starmer… now in comes Burnham, coming up on the left wing, dribbling the ball o...

This episode of the PRmoment Podcast , hosted by Ben Smith with guest Andrew Bloch , reviews June 2026 UK PR pitch wins and M&A activity in the PR and wider marketing sector. Market sentiment and pitch environment Bloch describes the UK PR pitch market as buoyant and optimistic at the mid‑year point. Agencies are reporting record months , strong new‑business pipelines , and clients releasing h...

The episode explores whether the PR jobs market is in crisis, how AI and economics are reshaping recruitment, and what candidates and employers should do next. Ben Smith frames the discussion by noting a “complex scene” where firms are still recruiting but “lots of really good people” are looking for work, with visible redundancies, especially in holding companies. Is the PR jobs market in crisis?...

This episode distils the six most important financial KPIs PR agency leaders should track, with Rachael Marshall , founder of specialist accountancy firm Magic Digits . Market context Rachael describes the current PR agency landscape as highly competitive and uneven : some agencies are “absolutely flying” while others are under real strain from rising costs and longer times to land business . “It’...

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 virtual...

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, B...

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 lead...

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 embe...

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 sta...

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 T...

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 intelligenc...

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 Mast...

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...