Jason Petosa, an innovative NCR publisher who expanded the company's readership reach in the 1980s, died Feb. 9. He had been living in a Kansas nursing home, struggling with advancing Parkinson's disease for several years. He was 81 years old. As publisher of National Catholic Reporter, Petosa introduced new products and services both to better serve parish pastoral needs and to bring needed new revenue into the company. He began Praying magazine, spinning off a bimonthly supplement to the newspaper. He also started several newsletters, Eucharistic Minister, Catechist's Connection, Gathering and The Caring Community, each aimed at parish audiences. He also started a books division, the Leaven Press, which later took the Sheed & Ward imprint. The publications gathered new audiences, but eventually proved costly. In 1997, in a company restructuring, the board of directors severed these enterprises.