AOL to expand its localized news network patch

According to foreign media reports, AOL will be a large expansion of its localized news network patch, in several U.S. states launched 33 Ultra localized news sites, early preparations for the U.S. presidential election.

AOL's patch local news network will launch 33 hyper-localized news sites in New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina, which are important in U.S. presidential elections. These hyper-localized news sites will focus on specific topics, including those that are of interest to a specific geographic area.

AOL has been expanding its editorial operations team after spending 315 million of dollars this February to buy the Huffington Post, The Huffington Post. This April, AOL said it planned to hire up to 800 full-time employees for patch and to reduce the use of freelance authors.

AOL plans to hire about 50 employees to prepare for the launch of the new website. After the new sites are launched, the number of patch local news networks will reach 837, covering more than 20 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.

"This is a way for us to use this excellent network to provide real-time news," said Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of AOL's Huffington Post Media division Arianna. As long as we can pass the quality threshold, we welcome and encourage all voices, but this is not all about the content. ”

In Monday, Arianna and AOL CEO Armstrong Tim Armstrong also spoke at the Reuters International science and Technology Summit.

AOL hopes to patch the company into a media and entertainment giant. Patch was founded by Armstrong in 2007, when Armstrong served as president of the U.S. region of Google. According to Armstrong himself, his idea of starting patch came from a local volunteer who couldn't find a weekend service for his family.

Armstrong was appointed chief executive of AOL in April 2009. Under his leadership, AOL acquired Patch in June 2009.

Patch is an important source of revenue that AOL has been relying on. AOL's revenue was $551.4 million in the first quarter of this year, down 17% from $664.3 million a year earlier, with ad revenues of 313.7 million dollars, down 354.3 million from the same period last year. It is worth mentioning, however, that AOL's first-quarter display advertising revenue reached $130.5 million trillion, up 4% from $125.6 million a year earlier. This is AOL shows advertising revenue for the first time in three years to achieve growth.

In 2010, AOL spent 70 million dollars to expand its patch local news network, and plans to invest 160 million dollars this year, the equivalent of 40 million dollars a quarter to expand the patch news network. So far, patch has yet to make a profit, but AOL expects Patch to be profitable by the end of the year.