Brogan: Hats Off to Patch!

The month of June means many things to many people. Five years ago this month, Concord Patch first arrived on the scene and created an immediate response. In the half a decade since, it has continued to evolve and grow and become an even more important part of the Concord community. Today, it's hard to imagine a world without Patch.

I first stumbled upon Patch while sitting at the computer on a warm June day in 2011. The name immediately piqued my curiosity and I clicked on the site and began to read. I was immediately hooked, even before I saw the name of Tony Schinella.

In 2006, when I was Executive Director of a New Hampshire/Vermont non-profit, I had contacted WKXL in Concord because of a planned fundraising event we were to hold at Concord's beautiful Capitol Center for the Arts.

Jim Bailey, the legendary performer and award-winning singer, was to do a benefit for us in October and I was anxious to promote the event since all monies raised would benefit nearly 100 clients and their families.

Tony was Station Manager of WKXL and listened with enthusiasm as I talked about the show, quickly offering to do a phone interview with Jim, who lived in California, and in the process getting out word about not only the event but the important work our agency was doing to benefit residents of our state.

When I listened to the interview, which ran numerous times, it was obvious that Tony had done his homework before speaking with Jim. Tony's questions were well thought out and showed a clear understanding, not only of what our agency was doing but the scope and magnitude of Jim's stellar career. After hearing the interview, Jim noted to me that speaking with Tony had been an "exhilarating experience filled with some great questions asked by someone who knows his stuff....."

Once I realized Tony was associated with this new Concord venture called Patch, my excitement level increased markedly.

Although I continued putting aside a chunk of time each day to read the Concord Monitor - a habit forged many decades ago - clicking on Concord Patch became a much welcomed start to each morning with frequent revisits throughout the day.

In late June of 2011, Gibson's Bookstore did a book-signing for my new book. The Concord Monitor, however, seemed disinterested in doing a feature about the book. Patch jumped at the opportunity and sent me a list of interesting and intriguing questions to answer which they included in a feature story, following-up with a piece about the very well-attended event at Gibson's.

When I called to thank Tony, he urged me to write a blog or two for Patch, if I felt like it and what initially started out as an appreciative nod to this fledgling venture, mushroomed over time.

My first blog appeared on July 4, 2011 and I was soon joined by numerous other locals who shared their own thoughts, feelings and insights with a growing number of readers.

Tony encouraged all views be represented and didn't censor thoughts, feelings, opinions, and respectful attacks. He also worked and continues to work 24/7 or so it seems. News events and stories seem to get covered almost instantly as they unfold and that immediacy has helped Patch to exceed any initial expectations. Patch seems to have continuously grown and evolved while still maintaining that local feeling coupled with a reporting of state, national and world-wide news.

Nearly 5 years after that first blog, I've sat down and written about 140 more in the years since - writing about everything from Concord's past, present and possible future, to stories of a more wide-ranging nature. Being a part of the "Patch family" in a manner of speaking, has challenged me and given me an enormous respect and appreciation for Tony and for the readers.

In the summer of 2012, I was notified that I'd been named one of the top 100 bloggers out of Patch's then 22,000 bloggers nationwide. Tony notified me in December of 2014 that I was to receive an honor from the NH Press Association as Best Blogger. Because of Patch, I am a far better writer than the person who sat down and wrote a book in 2010 and part of the reason is Tony's willingness to allow me and anyone who writes for Patch, to write what they feel in the way they feel it.

So a tip of the hat to Patch as its marks 5 years and a special toast to Tony Schinella who, despite working thousands of hours to not just maintain but to continuously make better this news outlet, still has an almost child-like enthusiasm for doing something he clearly loves. We're all the beneficiaries of that joie de vivre!!