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| Huffington Post's Patch lays off hundreds, shuts down 400 websites |
| 2013-08-11 |
| This is the first time I have heard of Patch, which is apparently Ariana Huffington's attempt to publish local news, which tells you the marketing effort that was put into it. AOL Inc. will replace the head of its struggling Patch local-news operation and plans to close or find partners for 400 of the unit's 900 community websites as it looks to cut jobs, two people familiar with the matter said. AOL Chief Executive Officer Tim Armstrong announced the changes at a meeting with Patch editors this morning, according to the people, who asked not to be named because the information isn't public. On an interim basis, AOL executive Bud Rosenthal will replace Patch chief Steven Kalin, who is leaving the company, the person said. AOL's Armstrong Says Adap.tv Gives Ad `Singularity' AOL is still calculating the number of positions that will be eliminated as a result of the closures, which could number in the hundreds, one of the people said. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #7 I like the concept; what bugs me is "run by professional editors, photographers, videographers, and salespeople who live in the regions they serve, and is supported by a great team in our New York City headquarters" with the whole thing being advised by a board of 'esteemed' journalists. IMNSHO, what is driving down the newspaper industry is the people working in it. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2013-08-11 13:20 |
| #6 our local Patch site is pretty good. Lotta local news I can't get from the Big Local Rag |
| Posted by: Frank G 2013-08-11 11:55 |
| #5 So they are going to try to patch the patch? I usually just toss the old one and start over (it works for tires and tubes) |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2013-08-11 11:11 |
| #4 Never heard of it. But local *is* important. But a reasonably lucrative model is needed to compensate for the tedium. |
| Posted by: KBK 2013-08-11 11:00 |
| #3 Hell, I thought it was me, I'd never heard of Patch either... LOL... oh well. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2013-08-11 10:11 |
| #2 Patch reports on everything you need to know about your town, from local government to school news to what to do with your family this weekend. Kinda goes along with P2k's "people who arrived from beyond that 20 miles came in and told you how to live your life and what you can or can not do". |
| Posted by: Pappy 2013-08-11 09:35 |
| #1 When most people spent most of their lives within 20 miles of where they were born, local was very important. When people who arrived from beyond that 20 miles came in and told you how to live your life and what you can or can not do, local became less important. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2013-08-11 08:21 |