Hello Patch

I've heard the rumors for the past six months - Patch is coming to Middletown.

Patch is an web-based news service owned by AOL, which bought the company in 2009 for $7 million.  The goal of the company, who has reportedly put $50 million into the company this year, is to launch 500, linked, hyperlocal news sites in communities of 70,000 or less by the end of 2010.

Middletown Patch launches tonight at midnight.

The good news, of course, is that it's several more sets of eyes watching what's going on in and around Middletown.  Patch has hired local, experienced newsgatherers wherever it has launched sites, and is intent on making the website a source of local community and municipal information. 

Reportedly, Patch hired 500 writers and editors in 2010, perhaps the only good news story for journalism in a long time.  Reporters and editors are paid, though not at the level at which some where remunerated at other news organizations.  And several have been recruited from the ranks of recently laid-off writers and editors at local dailies.

Patch will have a small local staff augmented by freelancers, and they'll have the power of AOL advertising sales behind them.  And like the two print dailies, there is no legacy print overhead to hold them back.

Middletown's Patch editor is Mike McCune, an experienced general assignment reporter and editor.  He did a stint covering Middletown and New Britain for the Hartford Courant.  He's already employed a few other in-the-know writers including Liz Warner, a local historian who will file a twice-a-day column called Around the Bend about happenings around Middletown.

Commenters will have to register to leave comments on Patch so it should prevent the nonsense that appears on Courant and Press websites.

How will this all affect The Middletown Eye?  Good question.

We started the Eye when the Hartford Courant had all but given up on town.  The Middletown Press was on the brink of extinction, and we found ourselves at municipal meeting with no reporter present.

The Courant is back with a regular reporter (Shawn Beals), who has been sitting through the meetings and complementing the work of Melissa Pionzio and Monica Polanco.  At the Press, Hillary Federico is working hard to cover the city hall beat, along with her other assignments, though many of the most sensational Press headlines still emanate from the court house.   Suddenly Middletown has a surfeit of reporters covering important stories.

I can say with confidence, for the short run, Middletown Eye reporters will continue to cover the local meetings and stories we've covered for the past two and a half years, with the same "we live here too" perspective.  We have agreed to cooperate with Patch in ways that make sense, as we've cooperated with the Middletown Press.  And if it means we can take the occasional night off from a local P&Z meeting, so be it.

Welcome to Middletown, Patch.

Here's the official Middletown Patch pitch.

An Introduction

Middletown Patch is a hub of local news and information for and about Middletown — and we're launching soon! We're a new business in town and you'll be seeing a lot of us: our editor and contributors will be all over Middletown with their laptops, cell phones and cameras, listening to people and covering what they care about. Our mission is simple: to make people's lives better by providing quick and easy access to the local news and information that is most relevant to them. Once we're open you'll be able to find us right here at middletown-ct.patch.com. Here's a taste of what you'll find on the site:

News

Middletown Patch's approach to news is professional, passionate, energetic and totally local. Our reporters, stringers and columnists will not only cover local government and school-board issues, but also Little League games, events around town and, of course, breaking news. And our stories, photos and videos will go online in minutes—not days.

Information

Middletown Patch is much more than a news site. It will also include a comprehensive events calendar, restaurant reviews, and a rich directory of all of Middletown's important places. We want to be the place you go to find a dentist, a mechanic, an activity for the kids, or the name of the official to call for a building permit or to make a noise complaint. And our listings won't be skimpy Yellow-Pages stuff—we'll provide detailed information like maps, products sold and even photos of every business. (If you're a business who wants to be listed, let us know.)

You

We're hopeful that our site will make the Middletown community stronger, but we can't do it without you. We're building Middletown Patch so you'll have plenty of opportunities to comment on stories, share your opinions, post photos and announcements and even add events to our community calendar.

Community

You can't truly serve a community unless you're giving it the help it needs most. Giving back to Middletown is hugely important to us. We'll do it both as part of our coverage —in a dedicated area on the site that lets local charities and willing volunteers find each other—and also with a program we call "Give 5", through which we'll provide free advertising space to charitable organizations and donate our own time as volunteers in the Middletown community.

Who's running this thing?

Middletown-ct.patch.com is staffed with by a full-time, professional journalist named Mike McCune (michael.mccune@patch.com) who acts as reporter, editor and all-around manager. In addition, we use a small army of contributors. If you are a journalist who lives in the area and has significant experience with community reporting and online news, send us an email with your resume.

Contact me, Mike McCune. Let's make this Patch site the kind of forum for news and ideas that Middletown deserves!