what's up w/ Patch.com

I am the Sports Editor for Patch.com in L.A. area, San Fernando Valley. I would love some experienced sports freelancers!

 

From what I've read about Patch, what you put into it is what you'll get out of it. Part of the hyperlocal media craze/revolution, Patch editors are expected to be everything from the Chief Operating Officer (of their site) to the bottle-washer. If you're looking to earn a few bucks freelancing ($40 to $50 per story that often must include photos and/or video taken by you), then go for it. If you want to be a Patch editor, good luck -- it's been likened to an online sweat-shop as the the links to the following excellent stories/blog posts suggest:
http://www.dankennedy.net/2010/08/05/hard-times-working-the-patch/
http://www.businessinsider.com/aols-patch-revenue-model-makes-no-sense-2010-5

 

Although I'm biased because I am employed by them and all, a few points...

- I have no doubt that some people are putting in insane hours, but I also think they'd probably put in insane hours regardless of where they were. Every shop I've been employed in, whether it was a daily or weekly, had some guy who worked well past 40 hours a week and didn't mark it on their time card, or who just didn't ever unplug. I definitely work just 40 hours a week, so I don't think it's as bad as it is portrayed; martyr complex can be pretty high in journalism.

- The Business Insider article is from May, and uses a bunch of incorrect numbers and assumptions.

- Shortly after the Dan Kennedy article, they made a bunch of changes to the vacation policy and made it easier to take vacations, days off, etc. Again, referencing point one, that might not matter to some, but there definitely is room in the structure for breaks.

I don't mean to come off as the company shill, but it's been about a hundred times better experience for me than my most recent journalism shops. Do you work hard? Absolutely, but you do get full health benefits, and there is at least a business plan, as opposed to the print industry, which seems to flail from one idea to the other every six months. (Everything on the Internet for free! No, let's do paywalls! Wait, let's do some for free, some behind paywalls, and and and...)

 

I agree ... my first month was tough, but only because I didn't have enough freelancers helping me. Now, things are much easier. The key is having freelancers eager to cover anything you throw at them.

Hours are going to be long no matter where you work in journalism ... the news never sleeps. So if you're going to slam Patch just because a couple of local editors have found it rough in the beginning, then do some research, talk to some others who have been around for more than six months, and get their perspective. I promise you only a few are feeling run down because they never had to manage before.

I'm working more hours now compared to the CNHI company I left this summer, but the work is more enjoyable.

 

Right, but the elephant in the room remains: If everything's free, and at the same time you're paying freelancers (pretty fairly I might add), then how is it ever going to make money? Last I checked, there weren't a whole lot of ads on any of the patch sites. And Daddy Warbucks @aol isn't going to fund it forever -- or is he?

There's no question that you and your colleagues are working hard, but unfortunately the burnout rate for the job (assigning, reporting, writing, editing, photography, copy editing, bookkeeping, coverage/out in the field, and more!) you're doing is very high. I have researched, and have found that many of the original editors from the early patch sites are no more.... Good luck!

 

Well, do you really think Patch is just going to open up and tell the whole world its financial plan? Last time I checked corporations tried to keep that inhouse so competitors don't jump on it first.

And those editors who left? Do you know all of them and their entire stories on why they left? Isn't it possible it's just a job not suited for them. Like with every new job, there is a learning curve. And if it's taking you too long to figure out how to run a news gathering site, then maybe leaving is the best.

This is like every other job -- some good, some bad. Trust me when I say the good far outweighs the bad.

 

Patch does seem to pay decent, compared to low 20s for being a sports editor at some papers.

 

Everything isn't free, but the overhead is a fraction of the cost of that of newspapers. One editor, a freelance budget equivalent to a full-time reporter, plus some more for calendar and sports staff. Since you're not producing a physical product, that entire half of the equation is also sliced off.

I realize it's unconventional, but hey, it sounds like a reasonable plan to me. And again, you're bringing up issues - burnout, multitasking - that are unfortunately a problem in every journalism job now. It would be one thing if it was Patch vs. the 1970s Washington Post. More often, it's Patch vs. a 30-hour position with no benefits, or a full-time position that doesn't pay well, or a non-journalism job. The New England jobs that keep popping up on this board are the ones nobody wants, like Fitchberg.

 

From a reader standpoint I love The Patch concept since I learned of it's existence about 6 weeks ago. I now find it the best way to stay current on local news and sports. News that I previously had to wait a week to read in local weekly is now available same day.

 

I heard a pitch and it's about changing journalism, using social networking, yada-yada-yada. Most Patch sites don't do anything different than other news websites.

 

I've been contacted by Patch, and the easy thing to do would be to take a job with them, get the slight raise and work out of my office.

And you know what? I'm not doing it.

I think Patch, in a strange, twisted way, is even more unsustainable than newspapers. Eventually, Patch is going to need to generate A TON of online advertising to make this work.

That being said, a lot of decent journalists seem to be popping up there.

 

Well, to be fair, if you're floating in the ocean and someone throws you a life raft, you're going to grab it ... even if it is made of lead.