FARGO — First things first. The news this week that about a dozen people lost their jobs at Midco Sports in a cost-cutting measure was awful. These were full-time jobs, held by men and
Women with families, mortgages and car payments. Layoffs are nothing new in the media industry, but it always hurts more when they happen locally. People familiar and popular in Fargo-Moorhead like Brian Shawn and Jody Norstedt were among those losing their jobs. They are
Friends and acquaintances of everybody in local media. In South Dakota, David Brown was let go. He might not be a household name among sports fans in North Dakota, but he did a wonderful
Job as a broadcaster for the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, high school sports and Augustana hockey. We, of course, are rooting for all who lost their jobs to land on their feet, whether in the sports media industry or elsewhere. The ones we know, such as those mentioned, should have no problem. All talented, hard-working pros and great humans. Now, about what happened. ADVERTISEMENT The Tip Sheet contacted multiple experts in TV and sports broadcasting to try and decipher why a television sports entity would have to cut so deeply at a time when televised sports seem to be booming. And, yes, the Tip Sheet sent a message to Midco seeking information and inviting a call. It sent a prepared statement. "Next season, Midco Sports will focus on enhancing our streamed content on Midco Sports Plus and our university partnership content on our linear channels. At that time, high school sports and some original programming will no longer be produced by Midco Sports or broadcast on our linear channels," said a statement from Paige Pearson Meyer, vice president of corporate communications at Midco. "Because of this, we, unfortunately, had to make the difficult decision to reduce the number of full-time team members on the Midco Sports team. In the future, the impacted team members could be affiliated with Midco Sports in a freelance capacity. "We've openly communicated the changes to our partner schools (UND, USD, SDSU and Augustana). We're in those partnerships for the long-haul, and we will continue to focus on those relationships." Seems like corporatespeak. The consensus among those the Tip Sheet talked with seemed to be — and, again, this is coming from people only offering their best outside guess — that Midco Sports likely has always been a loss-leader for the Sioux Falls, S.D.-based cable and broadband mothership Midco and with cord-cutting happening across linear TV, Midco Sports paid the price. It was explained to the Tip Sheet this way by an industry expert from the Twin Cities: Midco Sports was created to carry regional college and high school sports, not necessarily as a money-maker but as a way to entice people to subscribe to Midco, and so it was an expensive promotional tool (satellite trucks with "Midco" on the side, well-known talent) that was going to lose money on its own, but would lure people to sign up for monthly service. Midco partnered with North Dakota State (before it signed with Forum Communications Co.), South Dakota State, North Dakota, South Dakota, the NSIC and eventually the Summit League to broadcast games in hopes of gaining cable and streaming subscriptions. The company was willing to write off the losses as long as the cable and broadband sides were strong. ADVERTISEMENT Perhaps those pieces aren't as strong any longer and the company was unwilling to take the hit on Midco Sports any longer. Seems plausible. It also raises questions about Midco Sports' deal to be the streaming provider for the Summit League. Did streaming subscriptions not meet promises? That's the guess. The media landscape is a different beast than it was 10, 20, 30 years ago. Not even the same universe. Unfortunately, some very good people and professionals paid the price this week. Hot take of the day Even though SDSU's men's team lost all five starters to graduation or the transfer portal, the Jackrabbits will rightly be the Summit League favorites next season because they are the Jackrabbits. Former Northern State forward and West Fargo Sheyenne standout Jacksen Moni is garnering interest from multiple NCAA Division I programs after entering the transfer portal. David Samson / The Forum Jacksen Moni drawing interest West Fargo Sheyenne graduate Jacksen Moni , who played three excellent seasons at NCAA Division II Northern State before entering the transfer portal last week, is drawing plenty of interest from Division I suitors. NDSU and UND were the first to offer Moni, a 6-foot-10 wing who can shoot 3-pointers, but the chances of the Bison or Hawks landing him look slim. ADVERTISEMENT Moni used his X account (formerly Twitter) to list following programs that have offered him: Illinois State, Bradley, Austin Peay, Omaha and Chattanooga. Word on the street is other programs are talking with Moni, including Wyoming. Moni isn't drawing the Power Five schools that could offer huge NIL money, but there are enough mid-majors sniffing around who could lure him with a decent check. Jottings Former NDSU big man Andrew Morgan visited Minnesota on Thursday, according to multiple media reports. A Minneapolis outlet says Nebraska is also in the hunt to land the 6-10 post from Waseca, Minnesota. The Gophers' big from last season, Pharrel Payne , entered the transfer portal Thursday. ... In the first 24 hours after entering the portal, SDSU's William Kyle III was said to have heard from Wisconsin, Nebraska, Kansas,
Florida, Kansas State, Butler, Wake Forest, Boise State, Iowa State, LSU, Oklahoma,
Arizona State,
Virginia Tech, Nevada, San Francisco,
California, Oregon, Iowa, Arkansas, Clemson and South Florida. "Hearing from" and actually being offered are two different things, but it's safe to say Kyle III will get some big-time offers. ... Former Jamestown High School, University of Jamestown and University of Wyoming
basketball standout Mason Walters has signed with agency One Motive Sports and is preparing for a professional basketball career, the Jamestown Sun reported. ... Paul Vandal , a Jamestown High School and University of Jamestown
Football star, participated in NDSU's pro day. The 6-2, 280-pound defensive lineman was encouraged to attend by scouts. Vandal did well in the bench press and vertical jump, but his height might be a drawback. CFL scouts were seen talking to him at the Bison's indoor practice facility. ... Minot State defensive back Knylen Miller-Levi also attended NDSU's pro day. Miller-Levi had been running 4.4-second 40-yard dashes prior to NDSU, but was a bit slower in Fargo. He looked strong and fluid in other drills. Miller-Levi will have another pro day in
Las Vegas soon. ... Former SDSU men's coach Scott Nagy , at Wright State of Ohio for the last eight years, is the new head coach at Southern Illinois. ... There were hot rumors of former NDSU coach Saul Phillips , now at Northern State, leaving Aberdeen for a Division I job at Tennessee-Martin, but Phillips shot that down by telling a local broadcaster, "I'm not going anywhere. Go ahead, you can post that wherever you want." University of Jametown senior forward Mason Walters eclipsed the all-time scoring record at the school in December 2022. Special to Dom Izzo, WDAY Sports. Forum file photo Comments Share Share this article Opinion Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags THE MCFEELY MESS BISON MEDIA ZONE SUBSCRIBERS ONLY By Mike McFeely Mike McFeely is a columnist for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. He began working for The Forum in the 1980s while he was a student studying journalism at Minnesota State University Moorhead. He's been with The Forum full time since 1990, minus a six-year hiatus when he hosted a local radio talk-show.
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