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Business Wars

Wondery

Netflix vs. HBO. Nike vs. Adidas. Business is war. Sometimes the prize is your wallet or your attention. Sometimes, it’s just the fun of beating the other guy. The outcome of these battles shapes what we buy and how we live. Business Wars gives you the unauthorized, real story of what drives these companies and their leaders, inventors, investors and executives to new heights -- or to ruin. Hosted by David Brown, former anchor of Marketplace. From Wondery, the network behind Dirty John and American History Tellers.

Netflix vs. HBO. Nike vs. Adidas. Business is war. Sometimes the prize is your wallet or your attention. Sometimes, it’s just the fun of beating the other guy. The outcome of these battles shapes what we buy and how we live. Business Wars gives you the unauthorized, real story of what drives these companies and their leaders, inventors, investors and executives to new heights -- or to ruin. Hosted by David Brown, former anchor of Marketplace. From Wondery, the network behind Dirty John and American History Tellers.

Location:

United States

Networks:

Wondery

Description:

Netflix vs. HBO. Nike vs. Adidas. Business is war. Sometimes the prize is your wallet or your attention. Sometimes, it’s just the fun of beating the other guy. The outcome of these battles shapes what we buy and how we live. Business Wars gives you the unauthorized, real story of what drives these companies and their leaders, inventors, investors and executives to new heights -- or to ruin. Hosted by David Brown, former anchor of Marketplace. From Wondery, the network behind Dirty John and American History Tellers.

Language:

English

Episodes

Wondery Presents: Secret Sauce

4/15/2021
In Wondery’s newest series, Secret Sauce, hosts John Frye and Sam Donner explore the stories and successes behind some of the most inspiring businesses, creative innovators and intrepid entrepreneurs. First up, we’re diving into the company that revolutionized how we vacation, travel, and even how we trust other people...we’re talking about Airbnb. In 2008, Air Bed and Breakfast launched at SXSW with high hopes of becoming an alternative to overbooked hotels...but they ended up with just...

Duration:00:05:59

KFC vs Chick-fil-A | The Fried Chicken Future | 7

4/14/2021
After decades in KFC’s shadow, Chick-fil-A rode a wave of chicken sandwich obsession to industry dominance. But for how long? Will consumers tired of the relative simplicity of fried chicken in between two pieces of bread? For more on the emergence of the chicken sandwich as fast food’s favorite son, we speak to Nick Wiger — writer, comedian, and host of the Doughboys podcast. Wiger gets to the bottom of the chicken trend, speculates on what’s next at the drive-thru, and discusses whether or...

Duration:00:27:23

David Brown on The Art of Business Wars | 7

4/13/2021
Our new book, The Art of Business Wars, takes fans through stories they've heard on Business Wars and some that are completely new. Host David Brown is joined by Next Big Idea's Rufus Griscom to discuss how the book came together, what makes a great Business Wars story, and preview some of the never-before-seen rivalries sure to thrill long-time listeners. The Art of Business Wars is available now from all major...

Duration:00:24:43

KFC vs Chick-fil-A | Sandwichmania | 6

4/12/2021
It’s the the early 2000’s and the animal rights group PETA accuses KFC of cruelty in their poultry processing and creating “Frankenchickens.” As KFC revenues tumble, Chick-fil-A surges ahead, cultivating fanatic customers with opening day parties and lavish food giveaways. But when President Dan Cathy makes controversial remarks against same-sex marriage, Chick-fil-A becomes a battleground. Meanwhile, Popeyes new CEO reverses the chain’s long downward slide by returning the company to its...

Duration:00:27:26

KFC vs Chick-fil-A | The Colonel’s Last Stand | 5

4/7/2021
It’s the 1970’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken has yet another new owner: Heublein, the company known for introducing Americans to Smirnoff’s vodka. But KFC brand ambassador Harland Sanders creates a PR fiasco by accusing his new corporate bosses of letting standards slide and ruining the company. As the recession and Sanders wrath hammer revenues, the chain radically changes course, and commits to a “Re-colonelization,” reinstating many of Sanders’ original recipes, and reinvesting in its...

Duration:00:30:34

The Art of Business Wars Lesson 4: Positioning

4/6/2021
oo often in business, taking two positions is the same as taking none. You can only carve out one at a time — so choose wisely. To read more lessons from The Art of Business Wars and to order your copy, visit wondery.com/the-art-of-business-wars.

Duration:00:04:38

KFC vs Chick-fil-A | The Henhouse Heats Up | 4

4/5/2021
It’s the late 1960s and Kentucky Fried Chicken’s new owner takes the rapidly expanding franchise public. America’s hottest new IPO makes dozens of employees instant millionaires, but not Harland Sanders, who sold his company for cash. Now brand ambassador, Sanders regrets his decision and attempts a coup. As civil war rages at Kentucky Fried Chicken, diner owner Truett Cathy in Georgia makes a life-changing decision: to open his own restaurant chain in the brand new frontier of the American...

Duration:00:28:14

KFC vs Chick-fil-A | The Birth of the Bucket | 3

3/31/2021
It’s the 1950s in Kentucky and Harland Sanders faces bankruptcy once again. 65-years-old, broke, unemployed and desperate, he barnstorms the country, living out of his car, selling his secret fried chicken recipe to restaurant and diner owners. Franchising is a new concept and it’s hard going, but Sanders makes an invaluable convert of Pete Harman, a Utah restaurateur, who becomes his first franchisee. Harman creates the icons of the Kentucky Fried Chicken brand, including its name, and...

Duration:00:30:56

Announcing The Art of Business Wars

3/30/2021
Pre-order our new book The Art of Business Wars now before it is released on April 13.

Duration:00:03:15

Wondery Presents: Spy Affair

3/29/2021
A charismatic Russian woman arrives in the US on a mission to improve relations between the two countries, and she soon makes some powerful friends. But who is Maria Butina? And who is she working for? As Maria gets closer to the rich and connected she also attracts the attention of the FBI. In the politically charged world of US-Russia relations, everyone has secrets and almost nothing is what it seems. From Wondery, the makers of The Shrink Next Door and Dr. Death comes SPY AFFAIR a story...

Duration:00:05:44

KFC vs Chick-fil-A | Fast Fists and Failure | 2

3/29/2021
It’s the 1900’s and a young Harland Sanders learns how to cook out of sheer necessity when his widowed mother leaves him at home to care for his younger brother and sister. Crushing poverty prompts his mother to loan him out as a field hand when he’s just twelve, and from then on he’s on his own. He labors as a farmworker, a blacksmith’s helper, and a railroad fire stoker. Eventually Sanders bamboozles his way into a career as a correspondence course lawyer, only to lose his practice due to...

Duration:00:25:15

KFC vs Chick-fil-A | Guns, Guts, and Gravy | 1

3/24/2021
It's the Great Depression, and in one of Kentucky’s toughest corners, Harland Sanders defends his gas station business with sheer moxie and a loaded shotgun. He expands it into a thriving motel and restaurant, but impatient tourists balk at long wait times for his most popular dish — fried chicken. Eager to woo customers, Sanders risks life and limb experimenting with a new kitchen invention and creates a hit secret recipe. Along the way, he discovers a unique marketing gimmick: dressing up...

Duration:00:26:48

Late Night Wars | Late Night for the TikTok Generation | 7

3/22/2021
Since the disruption of the broadcast viewing experience, late night comedy has gone through some growing pains. It’s no longer must-see TV, but late night water cooler moments remain as fiery political segments go viral online. For more on how the late night landscape has shifted since Johnny Carson’s exit from The Tonight Show, we speak with Meredith Blake, an entertainment reporter at the Los Angeles Times who covers television. Blake lays out how the internet, streaming and a push for...

Duration:00:25:36

Late Night Wars | Late Night Stars Collide | 6

3/17/2021
Jay Leno takes it on the chin from NBC when the network informs him his future as Tonight Show host has a looming shelf life. He needs to hand the keys to Conan O’Brien, who doesn’t want to be stuck in the 12:30 slot forever. As Letterman’s ratings at CBS decline, NBC makes a bizarre decision to keep its hosts happy and in the family. It’s a decision that backfires in every possible way. The fallout will spark the last, devastating shake up in the late night wars, as the battlefield goes...

Duration:00:34:12

Late Night Wars | A Darker Night Ahead | 5

3/15/2021
CBS makes David Letterman a very attractive offer to leave NBC—a move he’s very willing to make—but his long-time network is desperate to keep him. So desperate they dangle the prize that Letterman felt he deserved all along—the Tonight Show. That doesn’t sit well with Tonight host Jay Leno, who takes a major defensive stance to hang on to the position he worked so hard to get. And in the wake of the Letterman struggle, an unknown talent emerges into the late night stratosphere—Conan...

Duration:00:34:00

Late Night Wars | There Goes Johnny! | 4

3/10/2021
When longtime Tonight Show host Johnny Carson shocks NBC with the surprise announcement of his departure, Jay Leno is anointed as the next host of the network’s flagship franchise. But there’s a problem: after a decade hosting Late Night at 12:30, David Letterman thinks Carson’s job should be his. Getting passed over is unacceptable to Letterman, and he’s going to exact a painful revenge on NBC. And Leno’s firebrand manager Helen Kushnick is going to feel the backlash of her scorched...

Duration:00:30:36

Introducing: In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson

3/8/2021
Lady Bird Johnson’s audio diaries reveal how one vastly underestimated woman navigated the power, politics and polarization of her time to become arguably one of the most influential first ladies in history. From ABC News, makers of the hit series “The Dropout” and the award-winning daily news podcast “Start Here,” comes “In Plain Sight: Lady Bird Johnson” – an eight-part series told in the former first lady's own words.

Duration:00:04:38

Late Night Wars | Late Night Explodes | 3

3/8/2021
Johnny Carson – the man who defined the Tonight show – is nearing retirement. But NBC has yet to settle on an heir. And that sets the stage for one of the most painful moments for the late night rivals battling for the throne. It will prove enormously embarrassing for Carson, Leno and Letterman. And they will vent their sentiments on stage. Meanwhile, Arensio Hall, a young, black comedian, is blowing past all of them, and posing the first serious challenge to Carson. Pre-order our new book...

Duration:00:31:46

Late Night Wars | The Dawn of Tonight | 2

3/3/2021
The late night saga begins in the uncharted wilderness of after-hours programming. In the early 1950s, an era when television broadcasting literally stops at 11:00 p.m., NBC dares to push the envelope with something called the Tonight Show. It works. It seems insane, but American audiences are ready to stay up--and advertisers are ready to spend big money to reach that audience. In the wake of Tonight’s success, CBS and ABC are left in the dust. But they’re determined to grab a slice of...

Duration:00:29:52

Late Night Wars | The Stars Realign | 1

3/1/2021
The cutthroat evolution of late-night talk shows is a long and fierce battle for advertising riches, ratings and sheer egotistical triumph. It’s the early 1980s and NBC’s Tonight Show is the unbeatable standard in its class, and its long-time host Johnny Carson the indisputable god of late night. Hosts David Letterman, Jay Leno and later Conan O’Brien all worship Carson. Each of them desperately covets the Tonight Show seat and will stop at nothing to get it. As fickle audiences demand...

Duration:00:35:27

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