David Bentley (Canadian businessman)
Encyclopedia
David Bentley is a Canadian businessman from Halifax
, Nova Scotia
who has been involved in print media since the 1970s.
Born in England
, Bentley emigrated to Nova Scotia in 1966
and Lower Sackville
within the Halifax-Dartmouth metropolitan area.
The Great Eastern News Company Ltd. was initially published out of Bentley's home but a press was acquired in 1978 and the company moved into a new building. A year later the format changed to a tabloid and began publishing six days a week as The Bedford-Sackville Daily News. The paper gained a reputation for printing stories not covered by its competition, The Chronicle-Herald
, some of which were considered sensational. In 1981, Bentley's company moved to downtown Halifax from its suburban base and redubbed its tabloid as The Daily News
, while gaining a reputation for hard-hitting stories and expanded sports coverage.
In 1985 the Newfoundland Capital Corporation gained a controlling interest in the paper and purchased Bentley's remaining share in 1987.
to sell the sensational news coverage that mainstream press was averse to covering. Unusually, the magazine had no advertising and operated solely from its print sales.
The first issue was published in November 1987 and focused on gossip about the private lives of the rich, famous and politically connected in the Maritime provinces.
Bentley expanded the Frank franchise to include an Ottawa
edition in 1989 with the help of Michael Bate. This edition quickly outsold its Maritime cousin, feeding off the void of gossip news in mainstream media in the nation's capital.
Bentley followed a successful formula with the magazine, feeding the need for gossip among the powerful, as well as the average citizen. It was often rumoured that each edition was incorporated as a separate legal entity, leaving no assets for potential lawsuits over libel, however there is no proof that this was ever done.
While the Maritime edition continued to grow in popularity, the Ottawa edition took off in just a few years, rising from a start of 600 copies to a publishing run of over 16,000 at the height of the Mulroney
years. It was during this time that the Ottawa edition of Frank brought the magazine its greatest notoriety by satirically running a contest in 1991 inviting young Tories
to "Deflower Caroline Mulroney, invoking the Prime Minister's wrath on Bentley and his partners. Mulroney joined several women's groups in denouncing the ad as an incitement to rape, but the magazine maintained that it was commenting on the Prime Minister's perceived habit of using his daughter as a political prop. The magazine also scooped the identity of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
's love child with Deborah Coyne
in 1991.
Bate subsequently bought out Bentley and his other partners to take the Ottawa edition of Frank independent.
Bentley continued with his publication of the Maritime edition of Frank, leading the magazine to several scoops, including the charges of sexual assault against former Premier of Nova Scotia
and Trudeau-era cabinet minister Gerald Regan
, in which he was subsequently acquitted.
Dulcie Conrad sold her share of the Maritime edition of Frank in the mid-1990s to Bentley and Watkins. In September 2000, Bentley and Watkins sold an equity stake in the Maritime edition of Frank to one of the magazine's reporters, Clifford Boutilier.
Similar to the Frank experiment, ALLnovascotia.com contains a hard-hitting approach to news, however it focuses exclusively on business-related news and not personal gossip or scandal but does contain scoops on lawsuits and other information not found in mainstream Nova Scotian media. Bentley and his daughter contribute to the paper along with several other reporters. The online newspaper survives exclusively on subscriptions and contains no advertisements.
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
who has been involved in print media since the 1970s.
Born in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Bentley emigrated to Nova Scotia in 1966
The Daily News
Bentley and his wife Diana, along with Patrick and Joyce Simms, founded The Great Eastern News Company Ltd. in 1974 and started publishing a weekly broadsheet named The Bedford-Sackville News, which focused on the suburban communities of BedfordBedford, Nova Scotia
Bedford is a community in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was an independent town from 1980-1996. Bedford lies on the northwestern end of Bedford Basin, an extension of the Halifax Harbour...
and Lower Sackville
Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia
Lower Sackville is a suburban community located in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is part of the urban area of Halifax ....
within the Halifax-Dartmouth metropolitan area.
The Great Eastern News Company Ltd. was initially published out of Bentley's home but a press was acquired in 1978 and the company moved into a new building. A year later the format changed to a tabloid and began publishing six days a week as The Bedford-Sackville Daily News. The paper gained a reputation for printing stories not covered by its competition, The Chronicle-Herald
Halifax Chronicle-Herald
The Chronicle Herald is a broadsheet published in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The largest newspaper company in Nova Scotia, The Chronicle Herald is also the highest circulation newspaper in the Atlantic provinces and is currently the largest independently owned newspaper company in Canada...
, some of which were considered sensational. In 1981, Bentley's company moved to downtown Halifax from its suburban base and redubbed its tabloid as The Daily News
The Daily News (Halifax)
The Daily News was a tabloid newspaper in Halifax, Nova Scotia that was published from 1974 until ceasing operations in February 2008.-History:...
, while gaining a reputation for hard-hitting stories and expanded sports coverage.
In 1985 the Newfoundland Capital Corporation gained a controlling interest in the paper and purchased Bentley's remaining share in 1987.
Frank
With the money received from sale of The Daily News to NCC, Bentley, along with Lyndon Watkins and Dulcie Conrad started a bi-weekly "gossip rag" or "scandal magazine" known as FrankFrank (magazine)
Frank is a bi-weekly Canadian scandal or satirical magazine published since 1987 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.A separate publication in Ottawa, Ontario, of the same name was published from 1989 to 2004 and then revived from 2005 to 2008...
to sell the sensational news coverage that mainstream press was averse to covering. Unusually, the magazine had no advertising and operated solely from its print sales.
The first issue was published in November 1987 and focused on gossip about the private lives of the rich, famous and politically connected in the Maritime provinces.
Bentley expanded the Frank franchise to include an Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
edition in 1989 with the help of Michael Bate. This edition quickly outsold its Maritime cousin, feeding off the void of gossip news in mainstream media in the nation's capital.
Bentley followed a successful formula with the magazine, feeding the need for gossip among the powerful, as well as the average citizen. It was often rumoured that each edition was incorporated as a separate legal entity, leaving no assets for potential lawsuits over libel, however there is no proof that this was ever done.
While the Maritime edition continued to grow in popularity, the Ottawa edition took off in just a few years, rising from a start of 600 copies to a publishing run of over 16,000 at the height of the Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
years. It was during this time that the Ottawa edition of Frank brought the magazine its greatest notoriety by satirically running a contest in 1991 inviting young Tories
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
to "Deflower Caroline Mulroney, invoking the Prime Minister's wrath on Bentley and his partners. Mulroney joined several women's groups in denouncing the ad as an incitement to rape, but the magazine maintained that it was commenting on the Prime Minister's perceived habit of using his daughter as a political prop. The magazine also scooped the identity of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
's love child with Deborah Coyne
Deborah Coyne
Deborah Margaret Ryland Coyne, is a Canadian constitutional lawyer, professor and author. Her education includes a Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School of York University and a Master of Philosophy from Oxford University in international relations.-Early career:She was a staffer in...
in 1991.
Bate subsequently bought out Bentley and his other partners to take the Ottawa edition of Frank independent.
Bentley continued with his publication of the Maritime edition of Frank, leading the magazine to several scoops, including the charges of sexual assault against former Premier of Nova Scotia
Premier of Nova Scotia
The Premier of Nova Scotia is the first minister for the Canadian province of Nova Scotia who presides over the Executive Council of Nova Scotia. Following the Westminster system, the premier is normally the leader of the political party which has the most seats in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly...
and Trudeau-era cabinet minister Gerald Regan
Gerald Regan
Gerald Augustine Regan, PC is a Canadian politician, who served as the 19th Premier of Nova Scotia from 1970 to 1978....
, in which he was subsequently acquitted.
Dulcie Conrad sold her share of the Maritime edition of Frank in the mid-1990s to Bentley and Watkins. In September 2000, Bentley and Watkins sold an equity stake in the Maritime edition of Frank to one of the magazine's reporters, Clifford Boutilier.
ALLnovascotia.com
In March 2001, Bentley and his daughter Caroline Wood launched an online Monday-Friday business newspaper focusing exclusively on Nova Scotian businesses; it is named ALLnovascotia.com.Similar to the Frank experiment, ALLnovascotia.com contains a hard-hitting approach to news, however it focuses exclusively on business-related news and not personal gossip or scandal but does contain scoops on lawsuits and other information not found in mainstream Nova Scotian media. Bentley and his daughter contribute to the paper along with several other reporters. The online newspaper survives exclusively on subscriptions and contains no advertisements.