Health & Fitness
Nashua Patch to Undergo New Ownership
The winds of change are coming though Nashua, what they will bring to the Nashua Patch is a story that is currently developing, and leaving many to wonder what will come of our hyper local news source.
Over the past few years, Nashua has had the pleasure of receiving news in a whole new format: via The Nashua Patch. This hyper-local news outlet has been part of a nationwide experiment in reporting the news, a la 21st century. Patch uses the convenience and speed of the internet, and the growth in use of social media, to bring us the news as it happens, and straight from the mouths and fingertips of those who have taken part in it's crowd sourcing through blogging, tweeting, sharing, commenting, and connecting directly with it's editor Carol Robidoux.
This new format has changed the pace and quality of our conversation, improved our abilities to connect with one another, and afforded Nashuans the opportunity to share in the role of reporter. This quality about Patch has helped to spur grassroots efforts in the arts, fundraising, advocacy for the things that are most important to the members of our community, and many different community projects.
This past fall, the Patch Network, a company owned by AOL Inc., announced a round of layoffs, which affected a number of local sites throughout New England and the country. TechCrunch reports that 400 individuals in the Patch Network were layed off last August. Service for many of those outlets, by virtue of no longer having an editor, has been discontinued.
Today, effective at 5 PM, Carol of the Nashua Patch will no longer be serving as the editor for this local news site. It remains uncertain what the fate of the Nashua Patch will be, and if service for the site will continue. One thing is clear the Patch company is under new ownership, and will be undergoing changes.
TechCrunch reports:
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"Patch is being restructured in connection with the creation of the joint venture with Hale Global. Some employees will be kept on and fill unspecified roles at Hale Global.
Aol sold a majority stack in its hyperlocal news outlet to Hale Global on January 15th. Aol retained a minority stake. At the time, Aol stated that they were spinning out the brand.
Patch had long been a sore spot on Aol’s balance sheet. After it acquired the hyperlocal news site in 2009, the network failed to become profitable. Patch is estimated to have cost AOL between $200 million and $300 million to run.
Find out what's happening in Nashuawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
In 2012 Aol CEO Tim Armstrong made a commitment to turn Patch around. In 2013, sites were consolidated or closed and staffing was cut. Still, nothing seemed to help. Despite the belt tightening, Patch remained a monstrosity of a network, spanning over 900 local blogs.
These layoffs do not come as much of a surprise. Patch was burning through money and Hale Global wouldn’t have purchased it without a plan to turn it around. Laying off hundreds of employees is a quick way to shore up the balance sheet."
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What will the future hold for our hyper local online news source? Your guess is as good as mine. What I can say, with certainty, is that I am grateful to have had such a responsive, and responsible news source in Nashua Patch. The conversation in Nashua has been better for it, and we will certainly be at a loss as a result.
Let's wish the best of luck to our faithful editor and chief, Carol Robidoux, in her next endeavor. Here's to hoping that the Nashua Patch will remain in some form, and continue to be a great source for the day to day news and musings about our great city.
