AOL expands local news network in U.S.

By Jennifer Saba

NEW YORK (Reuters) - AOL Inc is expanding its local news network, Patch, with the launch of 33 sites in targeted states as the United States gears up for a national election.

The Patch sites are rolling out in communities in New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina -- key states that play an early role in the U.S. presidential election.

AOL plans to hire approximately 50 employees to staff up the new hyperlocal sites as part of a broad expansion of its editorial operations following the $315 million purchase of the Huffington Post in February.

Hyperlocal sites focus on specialized topics, including issues of interest only to people in a well-defined community-sized area.

The additional Patches bring the total number in the network to 837 located in more than 20 states and Washington D.C.

"(It is) a way for us to leverage this great network to bring in real-time news," said Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group. "All voices will be welcomed and encouraged if they clear the quality bar -- it's not a free-for-all."

Huffington spoke ahead of the Reuters Global Technology Summit, where she and AOL's CEO, Tim Armstrong, were expected to speak later on Monday.

AOL is making a significant bet on Patch to help transform the company into a media and entertainment powerhouse.