VALLEY CENTER — Roadrunner Publications, which publishes the weekly newspapers Valley Roadrunner and the Escondido Times-Advocate, announced Thursday that it has purchased The Paper from publisher and editor Lyle Davis and rebranded it as The North County Chronicle.
The Chronicle will continue to publish weekly and will be distributed along the state Route 78 corridor.
Jeff Pack, a former reporter and page designer for The Californian in Temecula, has been named the editor. David Ross will continue as editor of the Valley Roadrunner and Times-Advocate.
Roadrunner Publications’ expansion began in 2015, when Valley Center native Justin Salter purchased the Valley Roadrunner and returned the newspaper to local ownership. The acquisition also included Valley Center Magazine, Boulevard Magazine and other local publications.
The company acquired the Escondido Times-Advocate and Valley Center Times-Advocate in 2016. The Valley Center edition was merged into the Valley Roadrunner, while the Escondido Times-Advocate retained its name.
The original Times-Advocate was founded in 1909 and published until the 1990s, before the Escondido edition was revived in 2013.
