Spectacular Failures
Where it charts
Today’s combined position on our country charts.
Ranking history
About the show
Latest episodes
-
Sqirl finds itself in a jam
October 5, 2020 · 38 minThe Los Angeles restaurant Sqirl had lines down the block for brunches that featured its famous house-made jams on toast. But then a photo of discarded mold scraped from the jam, snapped by someone in the Sqirl kitchen, blew up the…
-
NYC Taxi Medallions' steep fare
September 28, 2020 · 37 minEven before Uber and Lyft pulled into town, NYC yellow cabs were having a rough ride. Reckless lending practices and inflated taxi medallion prices racked up profits for the city and debt for drivers. Then, the bubble did what bubbles…
-
Subprime times at Countrywide Financial
September 21, 2020 · 43 minBefore the housing bubble burst, Countrywide Financial was one of the nation’s largest home mortgage lenders. But after years of predatory lending practices, the predator went extinct. Our sponsors this week: Indeed…
-
Pan Am hits major turbulence
September 14, 2020 · 40 minPan Am made air travel cool—from chic crew uniforms to exotic locations to square-jawed flyboy pilots. But a couple of bad business deals, massive deregulation, and a devastating terrorist attack sunset the airline for good.Our sponsors…
-
A dairy giant gets milked
September 7, 2020 · 38 minGot milk? These days, chances are maybe not. Americans have been saying no thanks for years now, and changing consumer tastes have been bad news for what used to be the nation’s largest milk processor, Dean Foods. Sign up to receive our…
-
Napster fought the law and the law won
August 31, 2020 · 38 minThe recording industry, Metallica, and ultimately federal court put the brakes on Napster’s music file sharing. But before exiting the stage, Napster changed the way we listen to music—and how much we’re willing to pay for it. [Editor’s…
-
The toxic tale of the Love Canal fail
August 24, 2020 · 40 minWhen Hooker Chemical sold its infamous toxic waste landfill to the Niagara Falls School Board, the $1 deal left Niagara residents seriously ill. But few believed the company could truly be at fault...until it was too late. Our sponsors…
-
The curtain falls on a big Broadway company
August 17, 2020 · 42 minLivent was a showstopper of an operation. But eventually, forgery and fraud stole the scene, the money exited stage left, and the lead actor landed behind bars.Our sponsors this week:Indeed: indeed.com/spectacularNetSuit…