CONCORD, NH — Another year has flown by, and I have been so busy I forgot to prepare for Patch’s 13th birthday.
Those of you who have teenagers know forgetting a birthday would be unacceptable. But since this is a news and community website and not a human being, no one but me was upset by my misremembering or delaying the annual b-day post.
Patch.com was turned on in New Hampshire around 4 p.m. on June 17 by AOL when the Concord NH Patch site went live. I was hired a month before and loaded the site with stories and pictures from around the city. Patch introduced our communities in the Granite State to a new way of delivering and receiving news and information. In 2014, the majority stake in Patch was sold to a private company. Since then, we’ve grown to more than 1,900 sites nationwide.
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One community person who did not forget the Patch birthday was Paul Brogan of Concord, who always remembers dates and things. Soon after Patch started, he began blogging for us and later, became a Patch Mayor. Paul always brings a great community perspective to his writing and also promotes important things, and I’m grateful for his (and everyone’s, actually) contributions. While I have a face for radio, he was nice enough to have me on his cable access show recently.
Thank you, Paul, for reminding me again this year!
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Most Read Posts & Stories
Here are the most-read posts on Patch during the past 13 years:
As I said, professionally and personally, life has been busy lately.
As some readers know, I lost my father in late February due to Alzheimer’s, after also losing a stepfather and a stepmother that I was close to in recent years. Writing his obituary was not an easy thing to do, but it was rewarding. I wanted to ensure I could tell as much of his story as possible with a few thousand words. His life would have made an interesting book. It made me realize, too, that I might want to write my own obit (LOL).
Losing the important people around you should give you pause. As I get closer to 60, though, and the twilight of my “journalism career,” a time when I should be slowing down a bit, it seems like I’m speeding up. There are just too many things to cover or need to be covered — and there are readers asking questions about what is going on, which is great.
Fun fact: Between Sept. 4, 2014, and June 16, 2024, the 14 Patch sites in New Hampshire derived more than 133.9 million page views.
But let us be honest: There have always been too many things to cover whether a news outlet had 30 reporters or three (or, in my case, one field editor, which is a bit different than a reporter … I do everything).
I know “free” news is hard to come by due to paywalls, lack of advertising, etc., and even some of the government-sponsored media outlets, like the public radio stations in Boston, are letting people go. Some media outlets have even embargoed their content on services like Newsbank, free through many public libraries — the place where many poor folks go to read things. It’s a weird time for the industry and our society, too. Have you seen the price of cars lately? Or homes? Or essentials?
But the commitment to “letting you know” is fulfilling. It has built the Concord NH Patch site into one of the busiest sites in our company, consistently ranked 5th or 6th based on audience retention and monthly page view goals. About half the city reads it every day. That still amazes me, even after all these years.
Nashua NH Patch, the second busiest site in the state, ranks in the Top 30 sites in the company, which is great, too.
Getting paid to provide you with as much free news and information as possible is an honor. All you have to do is click on things. And thank you for that.
More NHPA Awards
Patch in New Hampshire won four awards this year.
Our news partners won a bunch, too.
Catching up with them in person is always great since we work remotely or from the field. Read more about the 2023 press association awards here: NH Patch, News Partners Win New Hampshire Press Association Awards. I’m grateful, too, for their contributions to our sites.
Back row: Michael Graham of NH Journal, me, and Jeffrey Hastings of Frame of Mind Photography. Front rom: Nancy West of InDepthNH and Carole Soule of Miles Smith Farm in Loudon. Credit: Paula Tracy of InDepthNH
Celebrating B-Days At Patch In NH
There was no b-day cake again this year … like I said, too busy. I think I will have better planning next year (or maybe the 15th). But enjoy the past birthday cake and singalongs below (Read the 8th and 9th b-day posts for more profound overviews of the history of Patch in New Hampshire).
A Few Asks …
Before I say goodbye, I have a few quick asks:
First, if you haven’t taken advantage of our free Event listings to promote your fundraiser, concert, garden sale, or anything else. And remember, for just $2 a day, it can be posted on the site’s front page as a Featured Event, along the righthand side of the page, giving it even more exposure. Also, for $2 a day, extra towns can be added, promoting your event across the state. The Featured Events also go out in our newsletters, reaching tens of thousands of readers daily.
Second, if you have a business or service and need customers, please consider placing an ad on Patch. We have many options — display ads, advertorial content, and featured business listings. We can help you build and sustain your business.
And the last ask: Please continue sending your story tips. I can’t always get to each and every one of them. But I’m trying to.
I’ll close this belated birthday column by saying “thank you” to all of you. I know times are complicated and you have various media options to give your time to. I’m exceedingly thankful you spend time with us. TY!
Do you have a news tip? Please email it to [email protected]. View videos on Tony Schinella’s YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel. Follow the NH politics Twitter account @NHPatchPolitics for all our campaign coverage.
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