Four LI communities offered new online news site

NEWS MEDIA

In what some perceive as a threat to traditional media outlets, four Long Island communities have now been "Patched."

That means they are now being offered a "hyperlocal" news and information service (patch.com) operated by Manhattan-based Patch Media Corp., which was acquired in June by AOL.

The online news site is exclusively local and after starting in Connecticut and New Jersey, Patch is covering news and events in Bellmore, Garden City, Merrick and Port Washington. More are to be served in the future, said Patch editor in chief Brian Farnham. The news and information is gathered by regional editors, but they don't sell ads, Farnham said.

"In local communities you probably don't have more than a few blogs and a weekly newspaper," Farnham said. "Our plan is to bring news to these communities in a sophisticated platform."

Patch does not discuss finances, but it does have ads. "If an ad is posted it's making money for us," Farnham said.

The Bellmore coverage is typical - focusing on a ceremony honoring a former schools superintendent, the goings-on at a Boy Scout troop, listings of arts and entertainment events, and photos of local residents. Patch's first sites were launched in February in New Jersey. It now serves 30 communities in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Jaci Clement, executive director of the Fair Media Council in Bethpage, said "hyperlocal" coverage is much sought-after by consumers these days. "If Patch is smart this could be a serious threat" to traditional newspapers and television states, Clement said. There are other Web sites on Long Island that provide local news, including Newsday.com, which allows users to customize the site to sort information by ZIP code.