The parent company of the San Francisco Examiner has hired Bob Benz, the former head of online for the Scripps newspapers, as its chief digital officer. He will oversee interactive strategy and operations at Clarity Media Group’s SF and Washington Examiners, and Weekly Standard, the company announced.

Before serving as VP/interactive for Scripps newspapers, he was chief operating officer at Radiant Markets. He spent 10 years as a print journalist before helping to take the Rocky Mountain News online in 1995.

“The first thing that impressed me about Clarity was that it’s a news organization that functions more like a startup than a traditional media company,” Benz said. “The free distribution of its newspapers is the industry model of the future, and I believe we can continue this innovative spirit on the digital side of the house.”