Live Captioning
Realtime captions for live broadcasts, newscasts, and sports — delivered by a consistent team that knows your market as well as you do.
Est. 1998 · Des Moines, Iowa
Keeping everyone
in the conversation.
Human-powered captioning and CART for broadcast, government, corporate, and courtroom settings — by real captioners who know your world.
Trusted by broadcast engineers & producers for 25+ years.
0 wpm realtime
Live · human captioner
Our captioners' credits include
- ESPN
- CBS Sports
- FOX Sports
- BBC America
- PBS
- ABC · NBC · CBS Affiliates
What we do
Captioning for every room you're in.
From live newscasts to courtrooms and council chambers, we deliver clear, readable captions that help everyone follow along — in real time or in post.
Post-Production
Time-coded captions placed beside each speaker for clarity, or fast continuous-scroll. Carefully reviewed spelling, punctuation, and formatting.
CART Services
Computer-Aided Realtime Translation for auditoriums, classrooms, and live-streamed events — captions on screen as the conversation happens.
Government Meetings
ADA-ready captioning for city councils, school boards, and public hearings — clear records and accessible meetings for every constituent.
Corporate Meetings
Inclusive captioning for town halls, webinars, training, and shareholder events — on every platform, polished for the record.
Court Hearings
Realtime captioning for depositions, hearings, and proceedings — a clear, dependable record for everyone in the room.
Why Midwest
A dedicated team that learns your world.
Captioning isn't simply a job to us — it's our passion. We take great pride in delivering the best possible product to everyone we serve, and we've done it the same careful way since 1998.
- One consistent teamWe assign a personalized team to your account that becomes as familiar with your territory as a local resident — sharper captions, fewer misses.
- Direct line, no middlemanYou talk straight to the captioner covering your event. No third party means valuable minutes saved from request to on-air.
- Emergency turnaroundTight deadline or last-minute change? Our emergency option compresses turnaround when you need captions fast.
Experience
A quarter-century on the air.
Our core group of seasoned captioners has covered politics, national newscasts, public television, and state, college, and professional sports — across hundreds of productions.
Live Sports & News
CBS Sports NetworkESPNFOX Sports
ABC AffiliatesCBS AffiliatesNBC AffiliatesFOX Affiliates
Post Public & Broadcast TV
BBC AmericaAntiques RoadshowLast of the Summer Wine
Market to MarketLove of QuiltingThe Woodsmith Shop
Best of the MidwestIowa's WWII Stories
CART Education & Events
University lecturesAuditoriumsLive web streamsClassroom services
New Civic, Corporate & Legal
City councilsSchool boardsPublic hearings
Corporate town hallsDepositionsCourt proceedings
In their words
The people who rely on us.
Broadcast engineers, master control operators, and producers who've worked with us for years.
I have never worked with such a professional captioning company. Their dedication to putting out the highest quality product is phenomenal — knowledgeable and courteous to work with. Nobody else can come near their level of expertise and service. No one!Leon KollaschSenior Broadcast Engineer
I've worked with Midwest Captioning for over 14 years and so appreciate the expertise they routinely provide without fail. Any assignment they're involved with will be completed correctly the first time. Because of that, my job is always made easier.Terry SchnirringSenior Broadcast Engineer
As a Master Control Operator, monitoring closed captioning is ongoing. They call 20 minutes ahead of a live production to verify connections and test captions — time to fix any issues and ensure a quality end product. Always a pleasure.Sharon NewtonMaster Control Operator
They've provided services that go well beyond satisfactory, and always deliver on time or ahead of schedule. What I respect most is their sincere compassion for the hearing community they ultimately serve. Their post-production work is nothing short of perfect.Duane HueySenior Executive Producer
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Still have a question? Call (515) 321-5228 or send a message — we typically respond within 24 hours.
Get in touchHow can I get a quote?
Call us at (515) 321-5228 or fill in the contact form below. We'll get back to you as soon as possible — usually within one business day — with pricing tailored to your event.
What's the typical turnaround for post-production?
A 30-minute time-coded format with caption placement is generally returned within 2–3 days. Continuous-scroll format is 1–2 days. Need it faster? Ask about our emergency option.
Do you offer emergency services?
Yes. We understand tight deadlines and unexpected delays in production, so we offer an emergency fee option that reduces turnaround time when you need captions quickly.
Can you caption government and court proceedings?
Absolutely — it's one of our specialties. We provide realtime captioning and CART for city councils, school boards, public hearings, depositions, and court proceedings, handled with the discretion and care these settings call for.
Do you caption remote and online meetings?
Yes. We provide remote CART and live captioning that integrates with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex, and live web streams, as well as on-site coverage when you need a captioner in the room.
Get started
Let's talk about your captions.
Tell us about your event and we'll put together a quote. A real person answers — call or email and we'll get right back to you.
- Response timeTypically within one business day.
- Based in IowaServing clients nationwide, on-site & remote.
Two ways to reach us
Call us
(515) 321-5228
Mon–Fri · a captioner answers
Email us
mwcaptioning@msn.com
Tell us your date, length & format
Quotes are free. Ask about emergency turnaround for tight deadlines.