AS A senior executive of News Corporation, the parent company of The Times, John B. Evans became a pioneer in electronic publishing in America. Recognising the transitions that were taking place in print and electronic journalism, he developed his ideas through travel magazines and databases for NewsCorp, later setting up his own company for business travelers, and a design consultation service.

A Welshman, John Berwyn Evans graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in law and practised for a time as a lawyer. An avid sailor, he spent several years as a professional yachtsman on charter sailing craft. In 1972, at the age of 34, he went to the United States, arriving on a yacht in New York, having sailed there from Venezuela.

At that stage he had no particular plan in mind. After working on boats at the 79th Street Marina on the Hudson River, and a three-and-a-half year stint in advertising at the AC&R agency, he joined the Village Voice, starting in the mailroom and working his way up to publisher. He joined News Corporation in 1977 when the Village Voice was bought by Rupert Murdoch’s News America.

In 1985 he became executive vice-president of Murdoch Magazines, which at the time included the Village Voice, The Star and New Woman magazine, and later grew to include Elle, Seventeen, TV Guide, Automobile, Premiere, and Mirabella. Evans subsequently became president of the Murdoch Magazine group.

When NewsCorp bought a group of travel magazines and databases, he developed an electronic alternative to some of the travel directories using CD-ROM and laser disks. The project was named Jaguar. “I was trying to make travel agents become active instead of reactive,” he explained. “They sat around waiting for the phone to ring. I wanted them to pick up the phone and call people and say: ‘I’ve got a great vacation for you.’” Jaguar was later implemented into the Sabre System of American Airlines, and in the early 1990s the business division was sold for $860 million.

In 1991, when the Murdoch Magazines division was sold to K-III, Evans moved to London to run the commercial side of News International Newspapers.

He returned to the US the following year and formed News Electronic Data Inc (NEDI), a subsidiary of News Corporation. There he developed some of the first electronic travel information products in the industry. In 1995, with Intel, Accel Partners, Hummer Winblad and NEA, he bought out NEDI from News Corporation and renamed it BizTravel.com. The company became the leading travel planning site for business travelers. The company’s website has earned numerous industry awards for its information presentations and services.

Also in 1995, Evans founded REM Productions Inc, a design consultation service for media products whose clients include Steven Spielberg, Dreamworks SKG and Intel Corporation. Though his official title at REM was chief executive officer, he preferred the title of “Dreamer”.

His aim was to bring an emotional dimension to the generally sterile world of software interface design. Through the use of animation and art in new media, he sought to create a connection for consumers, replicating the kind of commitment people have traditionally felt toward their favourite magazine or newspaper. In doing so he applied the philosophy through which, in the 1970s, he had transformed the Village Voice’s classified advertising section into a lively and profitable form of personal communication.

Latterly Evans, who retired recently, had suffered from heart disease. He died at his home in Annandale, New Jersey, after a short illness.

Both his marriages were dissolved. He is survived by his daughter and a stepdaughter.

John B. Evans, media executive, was born on January 26, 1938. He died on March 28, 2004, aged 66.