Brian Urlacher
Robservations on the media beat:
Former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher has signed to headline a new weekly show on Comcast SportsNet Chicago. “The Hard Count with Brian Urlacher” will air at 10:30 p.m. Thursdays, starting September 15. Host Mark Schanowski, former Bears quarterback Jim Miller and former Bears head coach Dave Wannstedt will join Urlacher to discuss the team’s next game and break down the match-up from a defensive, offensive and head coaching standpoint. Also joining Comcast SportsNet as game day studio analyst is former defensive end standout Alex Brown.
Neil Steinberg
Alcoholics and people who love them will find insight and inspiration from Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg’s eighth book, Out of the Wreck I Rise: A Literary Companion to Recovery. Co-written by Sara Bader and published by University of Chicago Press, it examines the process of recovery from alcoholism and other addictions through the words of famous figures in literature, poetry, nonfiction and the arts. Truth be told, it’s a great read for anyone. Now in his 29th year at the Sun-Times, Steinberg also is the author of Drunkard: A Hard-Drinking Life, the 2008 memoir of his own struggle with alcoholism. Bader is an archival researcher and creator of Quotenik, the online library of verified quotations.
Jonathan Messinger
Think of it as radio drama for families: Jonathan Messinger, author, publisher and former books editor of Time Out Chicago, has launched Typedrawer Media, a Chicago-based producer of interactive storytelling podcasts for kids. First up is “The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian,” billed as the story of four youngsters who explore planets in far-reaching galaxies. “I like to think of it as Scooby-Doo in space,” Messinger said in a statement. “To my mind, centuries of storytelling traditions evolved to culminate in the Mystery Gang formula.”
Christian Wayland
Christian Wayland, executive vice president of Sunbeam Television, has been hired as vice president/group operations for Chicago-based Tribune Broadcasting. He most recently oversaw Sunbeam’s WSVN in Miami, and WHDH and WLVI in Boston. “Chris has acquired unique industry experience with Sunbeam developing and executing strategies to grow both advertising and distribution revenue,” Larry Wert, president of broadcast media for Tribune Broadcasting, said in a statement. “He is a perfect solutions-oriented fit to join Tribune Broadcasting’s management team.” Wayland once played pro hockey for the Nashville Knights.
John Carroll
Media colleagues are mourning the death of John Carroll, former publisher of Chicago magazine and Modern Luxury’s CS (Chicago Social). Carroll, 59, who had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, took his own life August 24. In an online tribute, former Chicago editor Richard Babcock wrote that Carroll “helped Chicago magazine thrive during the 1990s and into the new millennium and . . . took and shared a boundless joy in the pleasures this city offers.” Funeral services were Tuesday in Michigan City, Indiana.