Head of AOL’s Local Media Effort: MyRye.com an “Excellent Independent” (Site)
Patch.com President Warren Webster told BIA/Kelsey, the leading provider of strategic research on local media, that MyRye.com was one of several "excellent independent sites" Patch.com, part of giant AOL, has encountered.
"Patch.com President Warren Webster told us in a separate discussion that the Patch team has learned a lot about local communities and what people are interested in. “Police and fire information is very popular,” and “government news inspires a lot of debate,” he said. Webster was surprised, however, that weddings and obituaries aren’t more popular at this point — perhaps because users aren’t yet conditioned to get that information from a local online site. School sports have been more promising…
In terms of competition, Webster noted there are several excellent independent sites, such as Myrye.com and Maplewoodonline. He hopes that Patch proves to be complementary to them, rather than strictly competitive. He also admires The New York Times’ The Local, but says they are taking an approach that focuses on highlights. “We have a more comprehensive approach.”"
Thanks for the compliment.
New AOL CEO Tim Armstrong has made Patch a central part of its new strategy. Patch recently launched the Rye version of its web site, the first of several sites in Westchester County. It started operations in New Jersey.
