Midco Sports, a media entity that broadcasts athletics for the University of North Dakota, South Dakota State, and University of South Dakota, has recently announced layoffs for several employees, including well-known TV personalities. Sources reveal that Brian Shawn, David Brown, Jody Norstedt, and others were informed of the layoffs on Tuesday due to budget cuts.
In response to this restructuring, Midco Sports has decided to focus on enhancing streamed content on Midco Sports Plus and partnership content with universities on its linear channels Midco Sports and Midco Sports Two. As a result of this shift, high school sports and some original programming will no longer be produced or broadcast on their linear channels. The company has assured that existing contracts with universities will not be affected by these changes. Bill Chaves, the athletic director at UND, confirmed this information and expressed confidence in the ongoing partnerships with Midco Sports.
Notable personalities like Brian Shawn, Jody Norstedt, David Brown among others were affected by the layoffs. Shawn was known for his play-by-play duties for NDSU football before transitioning to UND football and basketball games while Norstedt’s focus was high school athletics in North Dakota and Brown was the voice of Augustana hockey. Despite these changes, some employees like Jay Elsen and Taylor Budge were retained in respective locations to continue their roles.
Midco Sports previously televised the quarterfinals and semifinals of the Summit League men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. While these recent layoffs have had an impact on the organization as a whole, Midco Sports remains committed to its partnerships with universities and plans on enhancing its content delivery through streaming services while continuing collaboration with schools’ athletic departments.
