Doug Miner, Former Patch Editor, Launches 40 South News in Maplewood, Brentwood

Nov 5, 2013 at 9:45 am

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"If there's no more Patch, this would be a nice alternative for the communities to publish local news," says Steve Jawor, who owns Maplewood's Great Harvest Bread Company.

Jawor advertises on 40 South News, joining other local businesses, including Pie Oh My, Kakao, Traveling Tea, Studio Forte, the Crow's Nest and Olympia Kebab House & Taverna, who financially support the site.

"He has a passion for it," Jawor says. "It's a crazy life. When you see people taking a chance on something, you want to support it. That's what life's about."

See also: Happy Hour at the Crow's Nest in Maplewood: Cruise for Boozing

More than 100 people have signed up for Miner's daily e-newsletters, which he says have an open rate of 40 percent and a click-through rate of 18 percent -- numbers his bosses at Pach would have been happy to see, Miner says. More than 460 have liked his Facebook page, and 47 people follow the news on Twitter.

"A few people have thanked me for starting the site," Miner says. "Many of them realize how frazzled I am. I've gone from an editor to a publisher. I got a promotion," he jokes.

"Now I just have to figure out how to get paid!"

Follow Lindsay Toler on Twitter at @StLouisLindsay. E-mail the author at [email protected].