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SAN FRANCISCO — Jerry Roberts will step down as managing editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, the paper and Roberts announced Monday. 

No replacement was announced. Executive Editor Phil Bronstein appointed senior editor Narda Zacchino as assistant executive editor and Sunday editor Kenn Altine as associate managing editor. 

“Zacchino and Altine will assume many of Roberts’ responsibilities while the paper conducts a nationwide search for a managing editor,” the Chronicle said in a press release. The staff was notified Monday by memos sent by Bronstein and Roberts. 

Roberts’ departure is effective March 1, although Monday was to be his final day in the Chronicle news room. 

“The first thing I’m going to do is take a family vacation in Mexico, and then come back and take a good look at several opportunities that I’m lucky to have in teaching, writing and broadcasting,” Roberts said in his memo. 

Roberts, 53, joined the Chronicle in 1977 and served as reporter, political editor, political columnist and city editor before being named managing editor in 1997. In November 2000, the Hearst Corp., which previously owned the San Francisco Examiner, took control of the Chronicle and installed Bronstein as executive editor. 

Roberts’ departure follows that of Matthew Wilson, who resigned as vice president of news and associate publisher in July. Wilson was the Chronicle executive editor before the Hearst Corp. took over the paper. Sharon Rosenhause, who served as the Examiner’s managing editor under Hearst and as editor of Hearst’s afternoon Chronicle, resigned in March to become managing editor of South Florida Sun-Sentinel. 

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