Tim Hennessy will not be a full-time UND worker anymore, however nonetheless may name hockey video games – Grand Forks Herald

GRAND FORKS — Tim Hennessy isn’t a full-time worker at UND anymore, however the longtime hockey radio play-by-play man may nonetheless name video games subsequent season below a brand new construction.

UND notified Hennessy on July 8 that it’s eliminating his full-time place inside the athletic division and indicated that the boys’s hockey radio play-by-play place shall be structured beneath Fighting Hawks Sports Partnerships.

Most of UND’s radio play-by-play announcers are at present paid by Fighting Hawks Sports Partnerships on a game-by-game foundation, together with Jack Michaels (soccer and ladies’s basketball play-by-play), Darrin Looker (UND hockey highway play-by-play or analyst), Mike LaMoine (UND hockey analyst) and Mike Berg (UND soccer analyst).

Men’s basketball play-by-play announcer Paul Ralston, who serves as UND’s assistant athletic director for broadcast properties, is paid by the varsity. Ralston is Hennessy’s supervisor.

Hennessy mentioned he met with UND athletic director Bill Chaves and Ralston two weeks in the past.

“They said they’re going to let me go, so that was that,” Hennessy mentioned. “Paul was there and he said they think something can be worked out with Fighting Hawks Partnerships.”

Hennessy, who has referred to as UND hockey video games on the radio for 46 seasons, mentioned he plans to do one other 12 months if the whole lot works out.

“I’m not going to bad-mouth anybody,” Hennessy mentioned. “I have no idea how or when anything will come out of Fighting Hawks Partnerships. I haven’t heard anything from them yet. It’s been three weeks now. Maybe we can work something out.”

Chaves mentioned that as a result of it is a personnel subject, he is restricted in what he can say.

“What I can say is that it’s an ongoing conversation at this stage of the game and nothing has been solidified at this time regarding who is going to call hockey games, as we are still working through some conversations with iHeart Media,” Chaves mentioned.

UND is coping with the aftermath of iHeartwork Media’s large nationwide layoffs earlier this month. The layoffs included the Grand Forks workplace. Hennessy and Ralston’s every day morning present was taken off the air together with practically each different native program.

Hennessy mentioned he believes iHeartwork plans on honoring its radio contract with UND, although the layoffs created a number of points to handle.

Chaves mentioned these points are at present being resolved.

“We’ve had several very good conversations with iHeart and feel as if something will occur in the not-so-distant future,” Chaves mentioned. “It just hasn’t happened as of today.”

Hennessy, the 2024 North Dakota Sportscaster of the Year, had a difficult 2025-26 season on account of well being points.

Hennessy was unable to journey for highway video games till the NCAA Frozen Four.

Looker referred to as all of UND’s highway regular-season video games and the NCAA Sioux Falls Regional. Looker additionally crammed in for Hennessy on 4 residence regular-season video games and one residence exhibition.

Hennessy referred to as 18 video games, an exhibition and the NCAA Frozen Four semifinal in Las Vegas.

Fargo radio persona Scott Hennen, who grew to become a fierce critic of UND athletic director Bill Chaves and present head coach Dane Jackson after the Fighting Hawks let go of former coach Brad Berry final spring, first posted on Twitter/X on Tuesday evening that Hennessy was “fired” and criticized UND’s teaching employees for not reaching out to Hennessy.

But Hennessy instructed the Herald that Jackson and basic supervisor Bryn Chyzyk had been amongst a gaggle of people that instantly reached out after seeing Hennen’s social media submit and mentioned they had been below the impression Hennessy was returning subsequent season.

Hennessy mentioned that could be the case, relying on his well being and the monetary phrases of a possible cope with Fighting Hawks Sports Partnerships.

Through an open data request, the Herald obtained a letter from Chaves to Hennessy thanking him for his contributions to UND athletics and explaining why the place is being restructured.

“This decision has been made due to the movement of all sports broadcasting responsibilities for UND Athletics to Fighting Hawks Sports Partnerships (FHSP) as a function of the usage agreement between RE, Arena, Inc, and the University of North Dakota,” the letter states.

Hennessy’s employer has modified a couple of occasions since he began calling UND hockey video games in 1977.

In 1988, Hennessy moved from KNOX to KCNN, the place he spent 13 years.

In 2001, he moved from KCNN to Clear Channel after Clear Channel gained the broadcasting rights to UND athletics.

In 2009, UND started controlling its radio broadcasts and shopping for air time. That led the varsity to start using broadcasters full-time.

Hennessy’s official rent date was July 31, 2009.

He made $41,058 final 12 months, in keeping with UND spokesperson David Dodds.

Now, UND’s broadcasters on each the radio and tv aspect are shifting away from using on-air expertise full-time.

UND’s tv companion, Midco Sports, has laid off a number of full-time on-air workers in recent times. It has rehired lots of them on a per-game foundation.

Midco’s play-by-play announcers at UND — Alex Heinert (males’s hockey, soccer), Brian Shawn (soccer, males’s basketball) and Mitch Wigness (girls’s basketball) — will not be full-time at Midco.