Controversial estate agent Jules Bending is planning to launch his own free newspaper, after his advertisements were once again banned from local newspapers.
Bending’s Glastonbury Gazette, to be published weekly from May, will rival the Northcliffe-owned Central Somerset Gazette.
Bending, who runs the Real Ralph Bending estate agents in the mystic town, told EAT that he had no option: “We’re in an industry that needs to advertise and Michael Polesi [Nortchliffe Media’s managing director] has personally banned me from all 192 Northcliffe titles,” he said. “Is that a record?”
Bending was consistently banned from the Central Somerset Gazette until last year, when he was allowed back in.
However, things came to a head when Bending claims he was censored.
He placed an advert for a “Bright & gay studio apartment in Quantock Court. Not suitable for someone with a lot of furniture as there's only enough room for a little pouffe.”
This got changed to: “Bright & gay studio apartment in Quantock Court. Not suitable for someone with a lot of furniture as there’s only enough room for a little foot-stool.”
Bending retaliated by putting a classified ad into the paper offering services of a personal nature – which he says the sensitive publication accepted without question.
Bending is no stranger to newspaper publishing: “We tried it two years ago during a previous spat with the paper,” he said. “It was called Ralph’s Rag. It had funny stories, property adverts and nonsense in it. We delivered it free and grew our lettings business, which proves you don’t need Rightmove or local papers.
“My new paper will be different, though, because it will be mainstream. Publishing a local paper with local stories and local advertisers is a perfect fit for an estate agent, seeing as our business is local. I can’t think why more agents haven’t done it.”
Bending, whose adverts have also been banned from Rightmove, will deliver his new paper free to all 2,000 homes in Glastonbury.
He said other estate agents would also be welcome to advertise, alongside the 20 local businesses that have already agreed to support the new venture. He is recruiting freelance journalists and a full-time editor, and said the paper would be editorially independent with a sense of humour. It will be run from his office.
Bending’s property adverts have previously included one for a former school house with ‘everything except the randy old teacher and fag butts down the loo’ and an apartment described as ‘cheap but not particularly cheerful’.
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Comments
Good Luck to Jules, a character ofour industry who has the "dangly bits" to stand up to the establishments.
He should try zoopla or finadaproperty. These webportals will be happy to take his money. Mind you, no one goes onto these websites!
I love his approach but the fact that he's got 2 instructions up on his website tells you he's either spending too much time on becoming the next Murdoch or vendors hate his amusing style, or a little bit from column A , a little bit from column B.
Why not indeed? And if things in your proper business get tight you could always set up a fruit barrow at the front of the shop, or run a gentlemens' massage service from the office above.
Who needs local newspapers or Rightmove anyway? Organisations who feel they have the upper hand should all be sent to the knackers yard as they are only fit to be slaughtered. Keep em coming Ralph and i'll sent you a pouffe to keep in the corner of your office!
Excellent. Good luck with the venture, you deserve every success. Hopefully it will remind the current local paper that it is mainly agents who keep them in business!
Sounds like a recipe for success, good luck.
With so much political correctness around, it's refreshing to hear of an Estate Agent with a sense of humour who's not afraid to challenge this.
Utterly brilliant. Hope it suceeds.
Good luck Ralph, my only thought though is that you are an estate agent and not a publisher for a reason! As everyone thinks estate agency is easy, do not be fooled into thinking publishing a newspaper is just about having a word processor and a friendly printer!