You've Got Patch.com!
AOL is coming to Purchase Street. The monolithic media company, undergoing a transformation and pending spin-out IPO under former Google sales head and new CEO Tim Armstrong, is putting on a local face.
In what seemed like mere moments after new AOL CEO Armstrong landed in his new gig, AOL turned around and paid a reported $10 million for Patch.com, a local media company in which Armstrong was an investor. Started in three New Jersey communities, Patch.com has worked out a templated approach to community news that relies on a single "editor" in each community, user generated content and calendar items, and centralized ad sales.
Since being purchased by AOL in June, Patch.com has expanded in New Jersey and opened in five Connecticut towns. Next on this list are seven markets in Westchester including Rye (the other Patch.com bound local towns are Bedford-Katonah, Chappaqua-Mount Kisco, Harrison, Larchmont-Mamaroneck, Scarsdale and Tarrytown-Sleepy Hollow).
AOL has been on the hunt for an editor for the Rye Patch.com web site. We have heard rumblings of AOL Patchers in downtown Rye but have been unable to confirm the hiring of a local editor. The local Patch site is not yet live – MyRye.com will let you know.
Tomorrow, we'll tell you about our conversation with the president of AOL Patch.com Warren Webster and what the company is looking for in its new Rye Patch editor. He'll tell us how local media should view Patch (friend or enemy), what's he is looking for in the Rye editor and if any Rye residents are involved in the new enterprise.
Stay tuned…
Morons.
What happens when Armstrong’s top down crew finds out there is precious little money in chain template hyper local media? Will they revert to the truly lame “American Towns” content aggregation pabulum – or just fold up their servers and can their staffs?
Don’t welcome these fools to the market Jay – even if they hire someone everyone likes.