Joe Natoli, the president and publisher of the San Jose Mercury News, has been named publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.

Natoli, 48, replaces Robert J. Hall, who announced earlier this month that he would retire at the end of the year. Natoli will take over as head of Philadelphia Newspapers Inc. effective Jan. 1.

"Joe is one of the most seasoned newspaper executives in our industry,'' said Tony Ridder, chairman and chief executive officer of Knight Ridder, which owns the newspapers. ``At the same time, he has a keen eye for the editorial process, and his success in working with some of our company's best editors is a matter of record.''

Natoli has worked his entire career for Knight Ridder, joining the company as a staff accountant and eventually working his way up the ranks at The Miami Herald. He was named the paper's general manager in 1993 and president a year later, before going to the Mercury News in March 2001.

Natoli is a graduate of the University of South Florida and has an M.B.A from Nova University. He has a wife and two children.