Former Patch Editor To Helm Middletown Press

Cassandra Day learned on January 29th that she was out of work -- via conference call.

Patch.com was throwing in the towel.  The system of local news websites, formerly owned by AOL, has been lopping off staff.  For three years, Day had virtually single-handedly made the Middletown Patch one of the more successful sites, and she survived several rounds of closures and layoffs.  But not this time.

Despite the current bleak job prospects for journalists, Day, a Middletown resident, did have something to look forward to.

For the past two years she has been chronicling bits and pieces of the city she loves via her Instagram feed.  A collection of her photos are appropriately enough being featured as part of Klekolo World Coffee's rotating artwork, and Thursday night was the opening celebration.

Day, and her friends and supporters, had a bit more to celebrate than they planned.  Thursday afternoon, The Middletown Press announced via Facebook that Day had been named managing editor, starting February 24th.

"I'm thrilled to be covering my old stomping grounds" Day said.  Not surprisingly, considering Day's work for the past three years, The Press has asked her to focus on their online operations.

It's a familiar work environment for her.  Day was the features editor for the Press for 13 years.

Meanwhile, her photographs will be on display at Klekolo until the end of the month.  The collection includes "sidewalk grates, survey markers, fire sprinkler covers, oxidized meters, weathered signs, ramshackle barns — corroded and dilapidated yet ordinary things we pass every day without consideration." Day framed them herself, and yes, they are available for purchase.

AOL sells Patch to tech investment firm

Via USAToday

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/01/15/aol-sells-patch/4498195/

AOL Inc. effectively abandoned its ambitious strategy of reinventing hyper-local news when it agreed Wednesday to sell a majority stake in the Patch website network to technology investment firm Hale Global.

Financial terms weren't disclosed. The companies anticipate closing the deal in the first quarter.

The deal is touted as a joint venture between AOL and Hale Global, which says it specializes in turning around underperforming businesses. But the control of the Patch network – which currently consists of 900 websites that run local news – will be handed over by AOL to Hale Global in a newly formed company. Hale Global will own an unspecified but majority stake in the new company, while AOL will be a passive minority investor.

Patch, which was co-founded by AOL CEO Tim Armstrong in 2007 before he joined AOL, has been struggling for years as many of the sites failed to live up to internal expectations for web traffic and ad sales. The sites, staffed with local writers and salespeople, are designed to capture readers and advertisers by including neighborhood news and developments that may be ignored by local newspapers.

Signs that AOL was looking to unload Patch began to emerge last year when AOL eliminated about 300 of 1,200 Patch sites and laid off more than half of the unit's workforce, or about 500 employees.

Hale Global and AOL say Patch will be relaunched as a place for contributors and businesses to create "locally-themed news and content." Patch sites also will be redesigned for mobile and social media users, and advertisers will have "self-service" tools for creating their ads.

"We are committed to bringing users, local businesses, writers and advertisers together into a Patch experience full of innovation and growth," said Charles Hale, CEO of Hale Global, in a statement.