Steve Hallstrom leaving for Discovery Benefits!?!

[Bison bison]

Oh, man.

Just on Prime Time Sports.

Best of luck to Steve & his family. Although it's cliche, he is going to be missed.

[Tatanka]

Holy shit.

Not good for the local sports scene.

Good luck though Mr Hallstrom...



---

OR, is Steve really leaving to become the new voice o' da BISON? :eek:


OK, that's just a pipe dream.

[TheBisonator]

What the hell is Discovery Benefits??

[EndZoneQB]

Holy shit.

Not good for the local sports scene.

Good luck though Mr Hallstrom...



---

OR, is Steve really leaving to become the new voice o' da BISON? :eek:


OK, that's just a pipe dream.

Is it tho? He's now free of any broadcasting ties....

[Hammersmith]

What the hell is Discovery Benefits??

It's a employee benefits management company(I looked it up). And if anyone can tell me what that has to do with sportscasting, I'd be most appreciative.

Kiss of death for WDAY sports?

[NDSUstudent]

Say it isn't so... Steve is the best sports anchor in the area, nobody comes close the job he does with NDSU athletics either.

[roadwarrior]

It's a employee benefits management company(I looked it up). And if anyone can tell me what that has to do with sportscasting, I'd be most appreciative.

It doesn't have to do anything with sportcasting. Maybe it has a lot to do with the long hours and all the evening hours he has to work almost every day.

[MNLonghorn10]

this is a joke. right?

RIGHT!?!


this will suck if hallstrom leaves. he's the best in the area.

[lakesbison]

See Jeremy Jorgenson - leaving to work 8-5 m-f

instead of 3-11pm mon-friday.


Hallstrom will be missed, he was THE ONLY PRO NDSU GUY IN TELEVISON IN FARGO.

[99Bison]

What the hell is Discovery Benefits??

Originally a branch and now an offshoot of State Bank and Trust. Employee benefits provider as Hammer said.

[Mr. Burgundy]

Discovery Benefits is a first class organization run by some amazing people. When I spoke with Steve today he considered himself lucky and this was a great move for his family. He said he would miss alot of things about his job, but this job is terrific.

From a personal (selfish) standpoint, I know some of the stuff that he did behind the scenes, and he worked his butt off and covered the Bison like nobody else. It is not close. The other anchors are UND guys and it shows. NDSU lost a great ally. I do think this could open him up for a sideline job (wink) in the future, and that would be terrific. I hope he stays with it, and I know he is really looking forward to taking his family to games and simply being a fan.

Best wishes to Steve and thanks for the years of amazing work.

***One final point, how many people would handle being removed from Bison football games as professional as Hallstrom did? I am sure his blog is still archived, but nobody would handle that as well as he did. Most people would take it as a slight and be done with NDSU. Not Steve. I will always remember that.

[HandoEX]

Terrible, terrible news! Can you at least start posting here to lighten the blow for your FANS, Steve? ;)

[EndZoneQB]

Terrible, terrible news! Can you at least start posting here to lighten the blow for your FANS, Steve? ;)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[sambini]

Good luck to Steve+++

[DjKyRo]

Man, that's no good...but good for Steve for making a good career move and hopefully being able to enjoy things a bit more. Thanks for all your hard work Steve, and good luck!

[TransAmBison]

Thanks Steve. Best sports man in town no doubt about it. Class act all the way. Nowgetyerbuttonbisonville!!!!!!!

[Grizzled]

Thanks for all the hard work you did Steve. Best of luck in your new career and enjoy hopefully getting a little more time to spend with your family.

[aces1180]

As much as he will be missed by the Bison faithful, I have to say its a good career move....40 hours a week, time for the family and no doubt a nice increase in salary.

He was the best in regards to Bison coverage.

[westnodak93bison]

Just read about this in the Forum. Good luck to him.
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/266324

[tony]

Class act - he will be missed. Glad he's staying in the area though.

[bisonmike2]

this sucks. Steve was the best. Can we blame UND for this somehow?

[Bison"FANatic"]

Good luck Steve, Can't blame you for taking a job with normal hours and pay is more than likely a lot better than broadcasting. Hopefully your passion for the Bison will keep you in the game some how. Maybe some bisonville or your own blog as the Bison media blog was the best I have seen it the last 3 months.

[Bison bison]

I think we should have a Steve Hallstrom day/week/month here on Bisonville.

[TheBisonator]

Steve should join Bisonville and post here once in a while!!!

[The_Sicatoka]

this sucks. Steve was the best. Can we blame UND for this somehow?

I'm sure you'll find a way.

[MHDBisonfan]

Add me to the mix of people who will miss Steve in local sports. In addition to being a great Bison fan which is what the Fargo media needs, he also was a great supporter of local high schools as well. And it was all done top notch with class. Good luck Steve!

[North Side]

As a person that as watched you since you started at WDAY, I tip my hat to you :howdy: Steve you will be missed, and THANK YOU! GO BISON!!!!!!!!!!

[Hambone]

this sucks. Steve was the best. Can we blame UND for this somehow?

I've been waiting for this. If you can come up with something, you get extra points for creativity :p

[56BISON73]

I've been waiting for this. If you can come up with something, you get extra points for creativity :p

Go over to the other site as Im sure JBB can and will find a connection.

[Jdubs21]

thanks for all u.ve done steve....u will be missed

[Kermit]

Steve, you have done a tremendous job at WDAY. I will especially miss your generous contributions to all Bison rubes on the Bison Media Blog. You are a true pro and a class act. Good luck!

[BigBison]

Steve, you have done a tremendous job at WDAY. I will especially miss your generous contributions to all Bison rubes on the Bison Media Blog. You are a true pro and a class act. Good luck!


Steve you were the best sports anchor in the FM area. I always thought that you would leave for a bigger market tv station.

[CampsandTourneys]

Steve truly was a class act and was constantly covering NDSU sports. He will be missed. Best of luck in future endeavors ++++:bow:

[tony]

I combined the two Steve Hallstrom threads.

[ISXBISON]

Steve--best of luck to you!! Your enthusiasm for sports and tireless work will be greatly missed. You have been a great asset to the regional sports scene.
Someone has some huge shoes to fill. Hats off to you sir!

[siouxdgj]

As a Sioux fan I would also like to congratulate Steve on a job very well done through the years. Steve is as fair and as professional as I've come across as a sports journalist. I can't say I blame him at all for wanting to spend more time with his family. I've thought many times Steve could have moved on to a much larger market with his many and varied talents. Best of luck in your new endeavors, Steve. You have most certainly earned it.

[AEBison1998]

Steve, Maybe you can work out some type of part time (.05 hours per week) deal with WDAY so you can still "technically" be a journalist and still get some recruiting scoops!!!!!!

You have done a great job with that this year. I'll miss that good work and all the other stuff as well. Nicely done!

[SDbison]

Great job as always Steve. Your efforts were most appreciated over the years. Is there anyway you can still continue to do a sports blog? I think our responses here at Bisonville show you have a pretty good following of Bison fans! :)

[Herd80]

Steve; you've done a great job for Bison sports, and local/regional sports in general. I hope the new job is great for you, but you may have a tough time exceeding the level of excellence that you have achieved in sportscasting.

Best of luck and kudo's

[Tatanka]

Hallstrom = class

http://areavoices.com/bisonmedia/?blog=69335

That is all.

[TransAmBison]

Hallstrom = class

http://areavoices.com/bisonmedia/?blog=69335

That is all.
Your most spot on post ever. Hallstrom will be missed.

[tony]

Hallstrom = class

http://areavoices.com/bisonmedia/?blog=69335

That is all.

+++++++++^2

[Bison bison]

Steve is unbelievable in the most positive way.

[Hambone]

That was a great post to read.

[WYOBISONMAN]

Hallstrom really has done a fantastic job. I hope he decides to blog somewhere......it would be great to be able too see what he is thinking during the continuing DI march.

[56BISON73]

Great post by Hallstrom. Class to the end and right on target on every point..

[Bison"FANatic"]

I agree class all the way. He will be a loss to the sports fanatics in FM.

[Civil06]

I agree class all the way. He will be a loss to the sports fanatics in FM.

Agreed. He covered high school sports superbly and has a personality that was sincere with the athletes. At girls games, he'd often walk by the student sections and make sure he said hi to a few guy athletes in the crowd and vice-versa. Not many people could be that casual and professional at the same time without it seeming awkward. We'll miss you Steve!:nod:

Any front-runners on who you all want to see at WDAY? I really like Dom Izzo and think he could step in. First-down friday's with him and Steve was my favorite broadcast of the week.

[Kermit]

Any front-runners on who you all want to see at WDAY? I really like Dom Izzo and think he could step in. First-down friday's with him and Steve was my favorite broadcast of the week.

I am a Dom Izzo fan. I think he is very talented--but, I doubt ANY television guy will give Bison fans what Hallstrom did through the his daily broadcasts plus the Bison Media Blog. The only area media guys who approach that kind of coverage are Brad Schlossman (Sioux hockey GF Herald) and Terry Vandrovec (all things bunnies for Argus Leader). Schlossman and Vandrovec are able to have a much narrower focus (I think Schlossman ONLY covers Sioux hockey fulltime) compared to Hallstrom who covered EVERYTHING under the sun in our region.

[SDbison]

I am a Dom Izzo fan. I think he is very talented--but, I doubt ANY television guy will give Bison fans what Hallstrom did through the his daily broadcasts plus the Bison Media Blog. The only area media guys who approach that kind of coverage are Brad Schlossman (Sioux hockey GF Herald) and Terry Vandrovec (all things bunnies for Argus Leader). Schlossman and Vandrovec are able to have a much narrower focus (I think Schlossman ONLY covers Sioux hockey fulltime) compared to Hallstrom who covered EVERYTHING under the sun in our region.
Wish NDSU had their own TV network for sports and Steve could anchor it!

[adslparts]

I agree with everyone. I think Steve was a great Sportscaster with great talent. I can't believe this new job pays better than a Sports Director job at WDAY. I would guess he was well into 6 figures with his tenure. Granted he's been at it for 12 years any any amount of money isn't enough if your constantly working. I've been there myself. I hope this job works out for him. Would be great if he could stay on just to cover games from time to time or start a blog or youtube page. I enjoyed watching him over the years.
I'm not a big sports person but he had the ability to make even local high school games interesting.

Best of luck Steve!

[ISXBISON]

I agree with everyone. I think Steve was a great Sportscaster with great talent. I can't believe this new job pays better than a Sports Director job at WDAY. I would guess he was well into 6 figures with his tenure. Granted he's been at it for 12 years any any amount of money isn't enough if your constantly working. I've been there myself. I hope this job works out for him. Would be great if he could stay on just to cover games from time to time or start a blog or youtube page. I enjoyed watching him over the years.
I'm not a big sports person but he had the ability to make even local high school games interesting.

Best of luck Steve!


I highly doubt he was well into six figures--in fact it would surprise me if he hit six figures at all.

[MNLonghorn10]

bisonville shout out, haha

[sambini]

Good Luck Steve+++

[99Bison]

I highly doubt he was well into six figures--in fact it would surprise me if he hit six figures at all.

No kidding... Probably half that at best in this neck of the woods.

He certainly will have a better chance with his new position.

[ThunderDan]

NO way in hell he made 6 figures...i would say 65,000 at best.....this isn't a big metropolitan area people, its fargo.
But like the other poster said, I like Dom Izzo...he has the drive to be a good sportscaster. I think he could be real good one day.

[tcbison]

I see Steve Hallstrom is now on twitter. Not sure if he will tweet much about the Bison but could be worth a follow. @stevehallstrom is his handle.

[MNLonghorn10]

I see Steve Hallstrom is now on twitter. Not sure if he will tweet much about the Bison but could be worth a follow. @stevehallstrom is his handle. SteveHallstro (https://twitter.com/SteveHallstrom)
Im sure he still has his connections to the program. I wish he'd still do the blog.

and rehatching everything...I watched all bison media blogs that Izzo/ Kolpack/Big E did...i think WDAY/Forum continued well where Hallstrom left off. I like Izzo and Kolpack as a duo and Big E is good shit too.

Of course...everythings fun when you're like 28-2 in the last two years.

[aces1180]

Haha...Just reading this thread and a lot of us were worried about the coverage after Steve left. I think its safe to say that Izzo has done one hell of a job, even without the media contract.

[mebisonII]

Does he still do a radio show somewhere? What is this about?



Putting together the bump list for the new radio show. This might be more fun than the actual show, ha! #stevessportssaturday

[siouxdgj]

Haha...Just reading this thread and a lot of us were worried about the coverage after Steve left. I think its safe to say that Izzo has done one hell of a job, even without the media contract.

I have no trouble at all seconding this opinion. Izzo has done one helluva job and deserves kudos for his efforts.

[HerdBot]

I think the team of Kolpack, Izzo, and Peterson have stepped it up big time. Their coverage is 2nd to none. Basically I always watch WDAY, read the Forum sports, WDAY.com, read the Bison Media Blog daily, and follow both of them on twitter.

[NDSUstudent]

Hallstrom has a radio show now......


Please join me on AM1100 the Flag at 1:30 today as we announce the launch of the new radio show #Steve'sSportsSaturday. Excited to start!

https://twitter.com/SteveHallstrom/status/296302858846998529

[THEsocalledfan]

Izzo has been simply amazing. The Sunday night rambling is becoming a favorite of mine. He must be pretty darn dedicated to do that. His knowledge of the recruiting is right up there with SamsRams on our other experts here.
How did they lose the NDSU contract? Were they just not willing to bid enough? Honestly, if it would be close and WDAY promised HD, I'd dump those NBC morons in a heartbeat.

[TransAmBison]

Izzo has been simply amazing. The Sunday night rambling is becoming a favorite of mine. He must be pretty darn dedicated to do that. His knowledge of the recruiting is right up there with SamsRams on our other experts here.
How did they lose the NDSU contract? Were they just not willing to bid enough? Honestly, if it would be close and WDAY promised HD, I'd dump those NBC morons in a heartbeat.I think they weren't willing to air as many games. They wanted one or two games on tv, if memory serves...

[THEsocalledfan]

I think they weren't willing to air as many games. They wanted one or two games on tv, if memory serves...

I'd sure be thinking they'd be rethinking that kind of bassackward kind of thinking at this point........unless their ABC commitments tie their hands. Honestly, what would be best for nearly everyone who does not live in Fargo is if they would go Midco in HD for all games.......

[westnodak93bison]

I'd sure be thinking they'd be rethinking that kind of bassackward kind of thinking at this point........unless their ABC commitments tie their hands. Honestly, what would be best for nearly everyone who does not live in Fargo is if they would go Midco in HD for all games.......

I know it is hard to believe but there is a rather high percentage rural folks in our region that do not have Midco or "cable" but rather some dish and or regular airwave TV.

[Bisonguy]

I'd sure be thinking they'd be rethinking that kind of bassackward kind of thinking at this point........unless their ABC commitments tie their hands. Honestly, what would be best for nearly everyone who does not live in Fargo is if they would go Midco in HD for all games.......

WDAY didn't pony up as much either. They had previously complained that they couldn't sell enough ads to justify another game.

Midco's distribution outside of Fargo is nearly ideal, but my concern is that NDSU would be one of many regional football games and they may try to dictate game times. Their camera crews currently need a lot of improvement as well. It might be HD, but the production and camera work is on par with a high school TV productions class.

[THEsocalledfan]

WDAY didn't pony up as much either. They had previously complained that they couldn't sell enough ads to justify another game.

Midco's distribution outside of Fargo is nearly ideal, but my concern is that NDSU would be one of many regional football games and they may try to dictate game times. Their camera crews currently need a lot of improvement as well. It might be HD, but the production and camera work is on par with a high school TV productions class.

Don't you think that WDAY could sell more ads in light of recent events? I mean, can you imagine how much more money Peterson Farm Seed is ready to plunk down? hey, we might even get guess what kind of seed is it visuals.

[Bison bison]

I would bet that at least one hundred thousand of the new corn acres planted in central North Dakota are due to the Bison.

[aces1180]

Don't you think that WDAY could sell more ads in light of recent events? I mean, can you imagine how much more money Peterson Farm Seed is ready to plunk down? hey, we might even get guess what kind of seed is it visuals.

I do...Hell, they had a 1-hour special the night before the championship game. They didn't do that for free.

[Facts]

I would bet that at least one hundred thousand of the new corn acres planted in central North Dakota are due to the Bison.

That and corn prices $6 and up!

[NDSU1980]

That and corn prices $6 and up!Actually, corn is back to $7 now.

[Bisonguy]

Don't you think that WDAY could sell more ads in light of recent events? I mean, can you imagine how much more money Peterson Farm Seed is ready to plunk down? hey, we might even get guess what kind of seed is it visuals.

Maybe, but I also believe they could have aired more games when they had the contract if they had a mediocre sales team.

Say what you want about KVLY and KFGO, but they do a 1000% better job of promoting Bison athletics and boast that with pride all of the time. WDAY would barely give a mention that the game would be on other than to wrap up the sports the night before. WDAY AM was no better. KVLY has the weather guy giving tailgating weather forecasts and there's a lot more promo going on. KFGO has the "Home of the Bison" promos playing all of the time.

[THEsocalledfan]

Maybe, but I also believe they could have aired more games when they had the contract if they had a mediocre sales team.

Say what you want about KVLY and KFGO, but they do a 1000% better job of promoting Bison athletics and boast that with pride all of the time. WDAY would barely give a mention that the game would be on other than to wrap up the sports the night before. WDAY AM was no better. KVLY has the weather guy giving tailgating weather forecasts and there's a lot more promo going on. KFGO has the "Home of the Bison" promos playing all of the time.

Times have changed. What kind of channel does not do HD news in 2013? Or did KVLY finally upgrade? They need to get some pride in their station to match their supposed Bison pride.

[Bisonguy]

Times have changed. What kind of channel does not do HD news in 2013? Or did KVLY finally upgrade? They need to get some pride in their station to match their supposed Bison pride.

They've had HD news for a while now.IIRC it was about a month after WDAY. They also have the syncbak app (live streaming/on demand/ craig bohl show) and news/ weather apps while WDAY still thinks people want to log onto their wwwebsite to find out any news.