Charles Melton, formerly editor of the Bremerton Patriot, has been named editor of the Kitsap Free Daily.

Both papers are owned by Sound Publishing, which also owns the Port Orchard Independent, the North Kitsap Herald, the Bainbridge Review, the monthly Kingston Community News and the U.S. Navy’s Northwest Navigator.

The Daily, which had been published on Bainbridge Island, will be moved to the company’s Silverdale office, which currently publishes the Reporter, the Navigator and the Patriot.

In addition to its new editor, the Daily will also have a new editorial focus with the inclusion of Kitsap County news stories produced by the company’s other local papers.

“The Daily was created with the goal of providing national and international news, along with sports,” said Rob White, publisher of the Patriot, the Reporter, the Navigator and the Daily. “We’ll still do that, but we’ll be using our Kitsap County news resources to offer the Daily’s readers more local coverage, as well.”

Melton, having served as a reporter at the North Kitsap Herald and as editor of the Patriot, has a strong sense of the local market, White said.

“He’s a perfect fit for this opportunity,” he said.

The Kitsap News Group is a division of Sound Publishing, the largest publisher of community newspapers in the Pacific Northwest — including a total of 34 papers throughout the Puget Sound region.