diff --git a/examples/podcast/podcast_runner.py b/examples/podcast/podcast_runner.py
index 22e1d90b..90a4a205 100644
--- a/examples/podcast/podcast_runner.py
+++ b/examples/podcast/podcast_runner.py
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ async def main(use_bulk: bool = True):
     messages = parse_podcast_messages()
 
     if not use_bulk:
-        for i, message in enumerate(messages[3:14]):
+        for i, message in enumerate(messages[3:4]):
             await client.add_episode(
                 name=f'Message {i}',
                 episode_body=f'{message.speaker_name} ({message.role}): {message.content}',
@@ -76,15 +76,15 @@ async def main(use_bulk: bool = True):
         await client.build_communities()
 
         # add additional messages to update communities
-        for i, message in enumerate(messages[14:20]):
-            await client.add_episode(
-                name=f'Message {i}',
-                episode_body=f'{message.speaker_name} ({message.role}): {message.content}',
-                reference_time=message.actual_timestamp,
-                source_description='Podcast Transcript',
-                group_id='1',
-                update_communities=True,
-            )
+        # for i, message in enumerate(messages[14:20]):
+        #     await client.add_episode(
+        #         name=f'Message {i}',
+        #         episode_body=f'{message.speaker_name} ({message.role}): {message.content}',
+        #         reference_time=message.actual_timestamp,
+        #         source_description='Podcast Transcript',
+        #         group_id='1',
+        #         update_communities=True,
+        #     )
 
         return
 
diff --git a/graphiti_core/utils/maintenance/community_operations.py b/graphiti_core/utils/maintenance/community_operations.py
index b72c995f..a239b691 100644
--- a/graphiti_core/utils/maintenance/community_operations.py
+++ b/graphiti_core/utils/maintenance/community_operations.py
@@ -103,8 +103,9 @@ def label_propagation(projection: dict[str, list[Neighbor]]) -> list[list[str]]:
             ]
 
             community_lst.sort(reverse=True)
+            community_candidate = community_lst[0][1] if len(community_lst) > 0 else -1
 
-            new_community = max(community_lst[0][1], curr_community)
+            new_community = max(community_candidate, curr_community)
 
             new_community_map[uuid] = new_community
 
@@ -150,7 +151,7 @@ async def generate_summary_description(llm_client: LLMClient, summary: str) -> s
 
 
 async def build_community(
-    llm_client: LLMClient, community_cluster: list[EntityNode]
+        llm_client: LLMClient, community_cluster: list[EntityNode]
 ) -> tuple[CommunityNode, list[CommunityEdge]]:
     summaries = [entity.summary for entity in community_cluster]
     length = len(summaries)
@@ -164,7 +165,7 @@ async def build_community(
                 *[
                     summarize_pair(llm_client, (str(left_summary), str(right_summary)))
                     for left_summary, right_summary in zip(
-                        summaries[: int(length / 2)], summaries[int(length / 2) :]
+                        summaries[: int(length / 2)], summaries[int(length / 2):]
                     )
                 ]
             )
@@ -192,7 +193,7 @@ async def build_community(
 
 
 async def build_communities(
-    driver: AsyncDriver, llm_client: LLMClient
+        driver: AsyncDriver, llm_client: LLMClient
 ) -> tuple[list[CommunityNode], list[CommunityEdge]]:
     community_clusters = await get_community_clusters(driver)
 
@@ -219,7 +220,7 @@ async def remove_communities(driver: AsyncDriver):
 
 
 async def determine_entity_community(
-    driver: AsyncDriver, entity: EntityNode
+        driver: AsyncDriver, entity: EntityNode
 ) -> tuple[CommunityNode | None, bool]:
     # Check if the node is already part of a community
     records, _, _ = await driver.execute_query(
@@ -280,7 +281,7 @@ async def determine_entity_community(
 
 
 async def update_community(
-    driver: AsyncDriver, llm_client: LLMClient, embedder, entity: EntityNode
+        driver: AsyncDriver, llm_client: LLMClient, embedder, entity: EntityNode
 ):
     community, is_new = await determine_entity_community(driver, entity)