Armstrong Confirms “Hundreds” Of Layoffs At Patch, 400 Sites Shuttered Or Partnered Off, And A New CEO
Darrell Etherington
We reported yesterday that AOL’s hyper-local news service would lose hundreds of employees today, and now we have confirmation from a well-placed Patcher privy to the call that AOL CEO Tim Armstrong did indeed confirm to employees that hundreds would be laid off, with notifications of who will be let go coming throughout the coming week. (Disclosure: AOL owns TechCrunch).
In a call Armstrong held with the Patch team today, he explained that “AOL is going to be running the show” at the restructured Patch along with new CEO Bud Rosenthal. Rosenthal replaces outgoing CEO Steve Kalin, who was reported to be getting the boot earlier this week.
400 Patch sites will be closed or partnered with outside sites over the coming week as part of the changes being made at Patch to try and turn things around, Armstrong explained on the call, but also reassured the Patch staff that the company is behind the initiative and told them not to “worry about what [they] read in the press,” calling it “bullshit.” Nonetheless, he encouraged any Patch non-believers still remaining at the company to get out now, emphasizing that there’s no room for equivocation in turning the effort around.
If the Ridgewood Patch is gonzo, what’s Paul going to do in order to promote himself on the web?
Sorry to hear this happen….hate to see people lose their jobs.
400 Patch sites closing… WOW………. Patch and their Editors were mis/led by thinking they would become the news brokers of the country.
Who will be next the Blogs ??? No body is getting my 1939 Underwood typewriter !!!
Funny about typewriter. It is safe, fear not.
I look at the Patch every day.
Is the Ridgewood Patch going to shut down? it is all but defunct these days anyway.