Christopher Ma, a veteran journalist and innovative new-media pioneer who was senior vice president for development of the Washington Post Co., died Nov. 23 at a hospital in New York city. He was 61 and was a seasonal resident of Aquinnah.

The cause of death was a heart attack.

Over the past 14 years, Mr. Ma played a pivotal role in taking the Post’s family of products beyond those of a traditional newspaper. He pushed the company to launch Express, a daily tabloid designed for commuters that became profitable, and guided the purchase and business-side operations of El Tiempo Latino, a Spanish-language weekly that the Post acquired in 2004.

“Chris was a man of impressive journalism and business achievements,” said Washington Post Chairman Donald E. Graham in an obituary that ran in the Post two weeks ago. “He was wise, generous, kind and patient.”

Mr. Ma’s colleagues described him as a modest leader and creative thinker who, at a time of enormous turmoil in journalism, looked for ideas and expertise from many sources. He considered his two children trusted advisers about media consumption, especially among young people.

“He had a bias toward change . . . in an industry that is all too often shackled by inertia and legacy,” said Post executive editor Marcus Brauchli in the obituary.

Mr. Ma had worked as a correspondent at Newsweek and as an editor at U.S. News and World Report before he joined The Post Co. in 1997. His first role was as a vice president and executive producer at Digital Ink, the Post’s online subsidiary, which was renamed Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive. From 1998 to 2000, Mr. Ma oversaw operations of the Post’s Web site. He launched the Live Online features, which included chats with Post reporters and other writers, as well as partnerships with Newsweek, MSNBC and NBC News.

He joined the corporate staff in 2000 as a vice president in the planning department and in 2008 became a senior vice president.

About 10 years ago, he convinced other top Post executives that the company should begin publishing a free tabloid-size newspaper for commuters before another publisher, Metro International, moved into the market. Free commuter dailies had taken off in Europe and in some U.S. cities. Mr. Ma saw the potential not only to increase the company’s advertising revenue but also to attract new print readers, especially a younger audience that tended to consume news online. The publication, with Post, wire and original content, was designed to be just substantial enough for a Metro ride.

In 2003, the Post launched Express with Mr. Ma as publisher. Today, Express has a print run of more than 180,000 and brings several million dollars to the Post annually in profits.

Shortly after the launch of Express, Mr. Ma became involved with the Post’s efforts better to reach the growing Spanish-speaking communities in the Washington area. He developed a business plan to buy the area’s leading Spanish-language weekly, El Tiempo Latino. Under Mr. Ma’s direction, the newspaper increased its circulation, enlarged its staff and redesigned its appearance, while continuing to be cited year after year as the best Spanish-language weekly in the country by the National Association of Hispanic Publications.

Christopher Yi-Wen Ma was born March 20, 1950, in Columbus, Ohio. His parents immigrated to the United States from China. He received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1972 from Harvard University, where he was editor of the literary journal, and a law degree in 1978 from the University of California at Berkeley. He practiced law for six months before beginning a career in journalism.

From 1979 to 1985, he was a correspondent in the Washington bureau of Newsweek magazine, which was owned by the Washington Post Co. He then moved to U.S. News and World Report, where he became deputy editor and was responsible at various times for economics, arts and science coverage.

Mr. Ma and his wife, Nathalie Gilfoyle, first visited Charles, Melissa and Philip Banta in September 1978 at their home on Abel’s Hill in Chilmark, and fell in love with the Island. He and his family spent summers on the Island, renting houses in Chilmark until they bought and renovated a home on Lighthouse Road in Aquinnah in 2008. “Chris loved the Vineyard — its diversity, its overwhelming natural beauty, and especially the warmth of its community,” Ms. Gilfoyle wrote in an e-mail to the Gazette.

He was a member of the board of the Sidwell Friends School in the District, of Columbia, which both of his children attended. He was the author of several books, including multiple editions of an almanac he co-authored titled The Practical Guide to Practically Everything.

In addition to his wife of 33 years, he is survived by two children, Olivia Ma of San Francisco and Rohan Ma of Oakland, Calif.; his mother, Margaret Ma of Menlo Park, Calif.; two sisters; and a brother.