Community Corner

Changes at Patch: A Note to Our Readers and Contributors

A Q&A addressing recent reader questions.

Dear Patch readers and contributors,

Much has changed in the last few months at Patch, and many users and fans of our sites have been asking us questions since Patch was sold a few months ago.

With a new owner and new leadership, we're working to recast Patch in our founding vision — to be a place where people can come together to share stories, learn about their towns, engage with their neighbors and discuss issues of the day with other Patchers.

Find out what's happening in Oswegowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We understand there are hurt feelings out there toward Patch, however, and a sense in some communities, Oswego, Yorkville and Montgomery among them, that we've broken the bond by pulling back valued local coverage.

What you see today isn't the "new Patch." Rather, it's very much a work-in-progress for a small group of hard-working journalists, engineers and sales-and-marketing pros who are trying to rebuild the website and the company. We're asking for your patience during this journey.

Find out what's happening in Oswegowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Here are a few answers to your most-asked questions.

What happened to our editor?

Many of you miss your local editor and wonder why your local Patch no longer resembles the news source you relied upon and even loved. Former local editor Natalie Stevens is a great person and a fine journalist who cared deeply about her job and your towns. We miss her, too.

On Jan. 29, Patch spun out of Aol as an independent venture now owned by Hale Global, with Aol as a minority stakeholder. Prior to the sale, Aol laid off hundreds of employees. Patch cost Aol a lot of money to run, employing more than 1,000 staffers nationwide. Upon selling the company, Aol laid off its staff, including most of the editors in the Chicago area. A very small team — about 125 people — became part of the new company.

I'm thinking of unsubscribing due to this change.

We've always envisioned Patch as an open town square where everyone can participate in the exchange of news, information and ideas, so we hope you don't. The website must be improved to make that easier and more enjoyable for you. We're working diligently on that right now. Instead of leaving, share your ideas with us as we retool. (Send them to chicago@patch.com.) If you're passionate about your town, consider contributing. If you must leave, check back later. Maybe you'll like what comes next.

Who is running my local Patch? How do I submit information?

Shannon Antinori manages the sites in Oswego, Yorkville and Montgomery, as well as several sites in southwest suburban Will County. You can send news, press releases and information to oswego@patch.com, yorkville@patch.com and montgomery@patch.com, depending on where you live.

Chicago was blessed with an abundance of talented editors. At one time, more than five dozen journalists staffed the Chicago metro area. As of now, six editors manage our 67-site Chicago network, from Highland Park to Oswego, from Homewood to Crystal Lake. Sometimes, they are up at the crack of dawn and often are working until midnight. (I tell them not to do that, but they are very passionate about Patch and the relationships their former colleagues built with their communities.)

Given the economic realities of this business, however, we all must reconsider our expectations. Under Aol, a great deal of money was spent and many people were hired to build a hyperlocal news network that responded virtually 24/7 to local news. We made money, but not enough to keep that massive network going. We didn't come up short on community interest, however. The fact so many of you have reached out with questions and comments about what you want or need to see on Patch is proof enough.

What is this Trending Now on Patch? I don't like it. I don't want to read other cities' news.

Trending Now is a national category with stories of general interest from our network of sites. Sharing stories to a wider readership is an idea we've wanted to try for a while. Since we started this in 2010, Patch has delivered regional and national stories. We still have a lot of work to do to get the mix and story selection right. And in towns where we've needed to hit pause on local coverage, we admit these out-of-town stories are more conspicuous. We intend for local stories to be front and center in the new Patch, and we'll make adjustments to the Trending content as we go. The structure of the new website will help with this.   

Why has Patch avoided news about the loss of staff?

You will find criticism of Patch on our boards and blogs. Some of our bloggers have taken the company to task and asked hard questions. We can't hide from the fact many talented people are no longer on staff. Nor would we try. We owe those people a great deal. They invested much time, toil and even tears in building your Patch. We hope some of them will want to come back or partner with us when the time is right. By and large, however, you'll see frank exchanges about Patch on Patch — like this one in Elmhurst, this one in Evanston, and this one in Plymouth, MI. And hopefully, in the comments thread of this post.

Who can I share my ideas and concerns with?

You can e-mail me and the Chicago editorial team at chicago@patch.com with ideas and questions about our business.

Depending on where you live, send your local story ideas, suggestions for blogs, requests for information to oswego@patch.com, yorkville@patch.com or montgomery@patch.com.

A final thought ...

Those of you who run local shops, restaurants and other businesses understand what it takes to build something from the ground up. Over the long haul, we are wholly committed to all things local, to supporting local businesses and to building a financially sustainable enterprise that helps communities. We're working night and day to build a better website with easy-to-use tools for readers, contributors and advertisers.

We appreciate all of you who've stuck by us the past three months. Not only have you bolstered our spirits, you've helped us see what Patch means to you. We want to do this better. Let's keep talking.

Sincerely,

Dennis Robaugh, associate editorial director
Patcher since 2010



Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here