AOL to cut 500 jobs at Patch

AOL Inc. is eliminating about 500 positions at its struggling Patch local-news business, or close to half of the division’s more than 1,000 employees, according to a person with knowledge of the decision.About 350 people will lose their jobs today, and roughly 150 will be asked to stay for 60 more days as the company seeks partners for some of the 900 Patch sites, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential. Chief Executive Officer Tim Armstrong, who apologized this week for firing a staff member in front of colleagues, announced the job cuts this morning to Patch workers.Mr. Armstrong, who has said he aims to make Patch profitable by the end of the year, told the staff last week that 400 sites would close down or look for partners, such as other local-news publishers. Today, Mr. Armstrong told employees the company may shutter as many as 20% of the Patch sites, with another 20% destined for partnerships or consolidation, the person said.Patch, which covers school-board meetings, local businesses and other neighborhood stories, has been a costly part of AOL’s strategy to transform the dial-up provider into an advertising-driven content publisher. The company has spent more than $300 million developing the sites, which serve communities and neighborhoods across the country.“Patch’s strategy will be to focus resources against core sites and partner in sites that need additional resources,” AOL said today in an e-mailed statement. “The... Continue reading at 'Crains New York'

[ Crains New York | 2013-08-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ PC World | 2013-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ AllThingsD | 2013-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ AdWeek | 2013-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ BBC News | 2013-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ AdWeek | 2013-04-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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