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reported that Patch had 23 million users, was profitable, and was expanding into new territories. In 2018, Patch completed its third profitable year in a row, attracting an average of 23.5 million unique visitors monthly. Patch employs nearly 150 people, including 110 full-time reporters, many from
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Patch also provides a platform for users to post questions, news tips and columns germane to their towns. Each site also contains a mixture of local and national advertising. The latter includes a self-serve ad platform allowing users to communicate directly with targeted audiences.
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Following the acquisition, Patch began a period of rapid expansion, becoming one of the largest employers of professional journalists in the US at the time. The company grew from 46 markets to over 400 in 2010, and by early 2011
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in late 2009, announced in 2010 it would be investing $ 50 million or more into the startup of the Patch.com network. As part of the acquisition Brod became
President of AOL Ventures, Local & Mapping, and
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The acquisition occurred on June 11, 2009. AOL paid an estimated $ 7 million in cash for the news platform as part of its effort to reinvent itself as a content provider beyond its legacy
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reported that it was "finding progress where others have failed", and had grown to 800 communities. In 2011, Patch acquired hyperlocal news aggregator
Outside.in from investors including
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In 2013, Patch was spun out of AOL as a joint venture with Hale Global. In
January 2014, the new owners announced layoffs of 400 journalists and other employees.
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169:. The platform is based on a lead reporter in each community, does not offer international news, but does have an "Across America" site, with national stories.
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201:. Armstrong told AOL staffers that he recused himself from negotiations to acquire the company and did not directly profit from his seed investment.
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in 2019 that his network of 1,200-plus hyperlocal news sites was generating more than $ 20 million in annual ad revenue, without a
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Alison
Bernstein was named CEO in September 2019, and later transitioned to the company's board. Rob Cain, formerly of
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and Jon Brod in 2007 after
Armstrong said he found a dearth of online information on his home-neighborhood of
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146:. It is primarily owned by Hale Global. Patch is operated by Planck, LLC, doing business as Patch Media.
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456:"AOL Buys Local Startups Going And Patch (And CEO Tim Armstrong Brings an Investment In-House)"
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197:. AOL acquired the company in 2009 shortly after Armstrong became AOL's
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687:"Patch Hit With Sweeping Layoffs As New Owner Hale Global Restructures"
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605:"AOL Bets on Hyperlocal News, Finding Progress Where Many Have Failed"
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409:"How 'hyperlocal' news app Patch is trying to regain trust in media"
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and others, integrating the technology into the Patch platform.
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638:"Confirmed: AOL's Patch Buys Hyperlocal News Site Outside.In"
251:, became Patch's CEO in November 2020. Charles Hale informed
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435:""Hyperlocal" web sites deliver news without newspapers"
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281:"AOL Finds a Partner to Run Its Troubled Patch Division"
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stories to 1,900 communities, dispersed across all 50
669:"AOL Shifts Patch to Joint Venture with Hale Global"
536:"AOL's Patch plans 500 local sites by end of 2010".
579:"AOL's Patch aims to quintuple in size by year-end"
433:Cain Miller, Claire; Stone, Brad (April 12, 2009).
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481:"AOL Acquires Two Local Services, Patch and Going"
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739:"'Patch' Celebrates Profitability, Explores AI"
851:Encyclo: an Encyclopedia of the Future of News
385:"How profitable Patch is automating ad buying"
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507:"AOL thinks local, acquires Patch and Going"
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1129:Internet properties established in 2007
554:. AOL.com. May 12, 2010. Archived from
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181:Patch was founded by then-president of
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16:U.S. local news website, launched 2007
1134:Local mass media in the United States
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811:
707:"Patch Rebounds After Split From AOL"
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357:"AOL's plan to own your neighborhood"
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505:McCarthy, Caroline (June 11, 2009).
278:Kaufman, Leslie (January 15, 2014).
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149:As of May 2024, the Patch.com
142:and information platform, based in
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1164:Mass media in Georgia (U.S. state)
14:
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602:Kopytoff, Verne G. (2011-01-16).
479:Savarese, Chris (June 11, 2009).
355:Hardy, Quentin (17 August 2010).
1264:Mass media in Washington (state)
855:Nieman Foundation for Journalism
577:Tartakoff, Joseph (2010-08-17).
468:from the original on 2015-08-04.
294:from the original on 2014-01-16.
244:the nation's leading newsrooms.
208:business. AOL, which split from
153:websites provide local news and
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720:from the original on 2016-02-02
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650:from the original on 2021-09-29
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618:from the original on 2011-01-17
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454:Schonfeld, Erick (2009-06-11).
337:from the original on 2024-05-21
312:from the original on 2024-05-21
1224:Mass media in New York (state)
1154:Mass media in Washington, D.C.
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447:
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401:
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331:"All Patch Locations by State"
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1:
704:Marshall, Jack (2016-02-02).
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1249:Mass media in South Carolina
1209:Mass media in North Carolina
167:United States Virgin Islands
7:
1214:Mass media in New Hampshire
1189:Mass media in Massachusetts
812:Kafka, Peter (2019-02-11).
608:. Media & Advertising.
383:Moses, Lucia (2018-10-16).
308:. Patch Media. 2022-07-14.
217:became president of Patch.
109:; 16 years ago
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1244:Mass media in Rhode Island
1239:Mass media in Pennsylvania
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1149:Mass media in Connecticut
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636:Rao, Leena (2011-03-04).
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1219:Mass media in New Jersey
1144:Mass media in California
999:Community Leader Program
767:Across America, US Patch
1269:Mass media in Wisconsin
1199:Mass media in Minnesota
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713:The Wall Street Journal
240:The Wall Street Journal
85:Online news and opinion
1259:Mass media in Virginia
1204:Mass media in Missouri
1194:Mass media in Michigan
1184:Mass media in Maryland
1169:Mass media in Illinois
857:at Harvard University.
763:"An Update From Patch"
195:Riverside, Connecticut
1159:Mass media in Florida
933:ART image file format
229:Union Square Ventures
1234:Mass media in Oregon
306:"Patch Terms of Use"
185:Americas operations
1254:Mass media in Texas
1179:Mass media in Maine
693:. January 29, 2014.
675:. January 15, 2014.
122:Current status
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1229:Mass media in Ohio
1174:Mass media in Iowa
1050:Neverwinter Nights
611:The New York Times
540:. August 16, 2010.
440:The New York Times
287:The New York Times
237:In February 2016,
224:The New York Times
107:December 2007
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743:www.mediapost.com
517:on August 4, 2009
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968:Acquisitions
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821:. Retrieved
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771:. Retrieved
769:. 2019-09-16
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586:. Retrieved
583:the Guardian
582:
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562:February 11,
560:. Retrieved
556:the original
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521:February 11,
519:. Retrieved
515:the original
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490:February 11,
488:. Retrieved
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415:. 2018-12-26
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75:Charles Hale
44:Headquarters
35:Type of site
1098:Socialthing
1093:Singingfish
249:Omron Adept
210:Time Warner
159:U.S. states
132:Patch Media
67:Hale Global
20:Patch Media
1123:Categories
1004:CompuServe
943:One by AOL
823:2019-06-26
797:12 January
773:2019-10-29
748:2019-06-13
724:2018-01-18
691:TechCrunch
654:2024-05-26
643:TechCrunch
622:2022-01-18
588:2022-01-18
552:"Jon Brod"
461:TechCrunch
419:2019-06-13
394:2019-06-13
341:2024-05-26
316:2024-05-26
265:References
151:hyperlocal
140:local news
1083:Radio KOL
1029:GameDaily
989:Alto Mail
928:AOLserver
368:17 August
144:Manhattan
136:Patch.com
134:operates
1039:Hometown
1019:FanHouse
1014:Explorer
958:Ultravox
900:Websites
718:Archived
673:Deadline
648:Archived
616:Archived
511:CNET.com
466:Archived
335:Archived
310:Archived
292:Archived
165:and the
104:Launched
81:Services
1034:Gravity
1024:Ficlets
921:Related
907:Aol.com
847:"Patch"
485:AOL.com
389:Digiday
259:paywall
177:History
114:2007-12
112: (
994:buy.at
977:Former
963:Yahoo!
362:Forbes
254:Recode
183:Google
125:Active
1078:Radio
1068:press
1044:In2TV
792:Patch
95:patch
64:Owner
1088:Seed
1009:DMOZ
799:2021
564:2010
523:2010
492:2010
370:2010
97:.com
39:News
1139:AOL
984:AIM
953:TAC
893:AOL
818:Vox
199:CEO
90:URL
72:CEO
1125::
1108:TV
1056:On
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