Mission-critical leadership

"Editorial is what’s kept this place together for the last few years, thanks to you, sir."

Warren St. John, Patch president

A Long, Hard Road For Patch Editorial

SOME PEOPLE THINK THEY KNOW THE PATCH STORY because they read a few news articles about Aol’s ambitious, strategically iffy local news gamble way back in 2010 — a thousand journalists hired, hundreds of millions in dollars invested — and the nasty board of directors battle in 2013 that led to the project’s downsizing and spinout. But that was just the start of this startup story. 

In a handful of states, Patch had built a sizable audience worth saving and serving. A small band of Patchy pirates — fewer than 50 journalists — tried to do just that. For a few years, the struggle was ugly. Damn ugly. Cry in your beer ugly. 😭 In 2014 and 2015, Patch subsisted on a small crew of editors covering huge beats, working way too many hours to pump out a high volume of aggregation and far too many crime and viral stories — just to keep the company alive. 

The industry looked down its nose at this version of Patch, and not without reason.

But a funny thing happened on the way to supposed oblivion. 

The hard work to put down new roots bore some fruit. The company turned a profit in 2016. Patch started to grow again, kicking off a five-year run of gains in profitability, traffic and subscribers. Local editors got more time to report original stories with greater frequency. Beats got smaller. (Staffers who covered a dozen towns or more now would report on three, five or six.) Journalistic credibility and quality improved. The stories got better, and the public noticed. Email signups surged year over year. Other companies, news orgs, non-profits and universities wanted to partner with Patch, too. 

Each year, Patch plowed the profit back into the team, and I was able to expand editorial staff, improve the CMS, shrink beat sizes and encourage stronger and more impactful local journalism. 

Here are several highlights from those years — my years as Patch’s No. 1 fan and Editor-in-Chief.

'The best coach ...'

"I don't think Dennis will ever know just how we all marveled that he could parse data and draw best practices from it, just seamlessly juggle so many things. He is the best coach, has great instructive stories, is a fierce defender of press freedom, and he's funny as hell."

Deb Belt
Patch regional editor
former Des Moines Register
community publications editor

Patch's boots-on-the-ground pandemic and local election coverage was frequently cited on MSNBC, Fox News, Politico and other outlets.

Growing Credibility, Quality, Recognition And Reputation

IL local editor David Giuliani on WGN Chicago

CA local editor Kenan Draughorne on CBSN

Chicago writer Mark Konkol on CBSN

NJ local editor Anthony Bellano on CBSN

In October 2019, Patch beat all of its 2018 records: 

Some of those records were broken a few more times in the months that followed. They were shattered in the 2020 pandemic coverage when the hardest working team in local news reached 148M monthly page views and 48M unique visitors. 

The local editors are the heart, soul and strength of Patch

Local People, Places And Stories That Mattered

Dennis 'always made us feel we worked with him, not for him'

"I‘ve been in journalism a long time and can’t remember too many bosses who defended, supported and praised his reporters like Dennis. He was quick to build you up and never tore you down and was always the biggest cheerleader for a news organization he helped to build from the ground up. He took chances on people who needed a second chance others weren’t willing to provide, always praised you for a job well done, and helped you dust yourself off when you got knocked down. He always made us feel we worked with him, not for him."

Jeff Arnold, roving field editor
former NY Times and Washington Post sports reporter

With Rising Credibility, Patch's Local Reporting Noticed By A POTUS And A FLOTUS

A Few Words On Team Culture

Dennis 'restored my faith in newsrooms'

"You gave me the ability to grow as a writer, editor and strategist. You also restored my faith in newsrooms and in workplaces that are vibrant and healthy and are just good places to work."

Erika Hobbs, Editorial Director at Growing Community Media
former Newsweek senior editor, former Patch local editor, former Center for Public Integrity reporter

Neighborhood Heroes

Improved local coverage and credibility helped Patch secure a financial partnership with Ring, maker of smart doorbells, home security cameras, and alarm systems.

Ring not only sponsored expanded community-focused coverage of people who do great things in town, the company's ad dollars helped Patch fund news experiments and new local markets.

Celebrate Good Times

Starting in the Fall of 2019, we would virtually gather via Zoom Standup for 15 minutes every Friday afternoon to celebrate our people and big wins and foster a supportive team culture and healthy connections. (One December, I played the part of Patch Santa! 🧑‍🎄) Here are a few of those wins.

Dennis 'makes sure you learned your lesson'

"Dennis is one of the most thoughtful and level-headed managers I've ever encountered. He has a certain method of managing that makes you feel at ease — but also makes sure you learned your lesson, especially if you make a mistake. He will always fight for you if he believes in you — as he did with me. I don't think I could have succeeded at Patch without him."

Tom Davis, Editor of Best’s Review,
former New Jersey Senior Regional Manager at Patch

Patch Press