The Juneau Empire and Capital City Weekly have a new general manager.

Sound Publishing, Inc. announced Monday that Robert Monteith will be moving to Juneau to oversee the daily newspaper and the weekly arts publication in Alaska’s capital city.

Terry Ward, vice president of Sound Publishing, Inc. and publisher of the Juneau Empire and Capital City Weekly, made the announcement in person to staff on Monday morning.

“I am pleased to put the day-to-day operations of the Juneau Empire and Capital City Weekly in Robert’s capable hands,” Ward said. “He has a passion for quality journalism and a love for Alaska. Those two combined will serve southeast Alaska well for years to come.”

Monteith joined Sound Publishing earlier this year in June and was most recently executive editor of several newspapers in Washington, including the North Kitsap Herald, Central Kitsap Reporter, Port Orchard Independent, Bainbridge Island Review, Kingston Community News and the Northwest Chronicle, a monthly marijuana publication. He flew to Juneau for Monday’s announcement and will be relocating to Juneau by year’s end with his wife and dog.

“Juneau is a really great city,” he said. “I feel blessed that I get to live and work here. I’m really looking forward to exploring more and getting involved in the community.”

Monteith began his journalism career in Petersburg and went on to work at newspapers in Wyoming, Idaho and California. He was publisher at the Kodiak Daily Mirror, where he also worked for two years as the editor before being made publisher in January of this year.

Monteith was born and raised in Southern California. After graduating Humboldt State University in 2007, he moved to Petersburg to be a reporter because Alaska seemed like an exciting opportunity, he said.

“My wife and I actually met in Alaska, so it’s always felt like home to us,” he said.

Monteith replaces Brian Naplachowski, who worked for the Empire on and off since 2009.

Seattle-based Sound Publishing, Inc. bought the Empire in April of this year, and stewards a group of 49 publications in the greater Puget Sound Region. It’s a wholly-owned subsidiary of Black Press, a Victoria, British Columbia company with publications in Canada, Washington, Hawaii and California.

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• Contact reporter Mollie Barnes at 523-2228 or mbarnes@juneauempire.com.

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