A new weekly newspaper is to hit the streets of Glasgow this week, launched by former Paisley Daily Express editor Jonathan Russell.

The journalist took voluntary redundancy from the Trinity Mirror-owned title in June, and is using his payment to finance the Southside Mail.

The new paid-for title will be on sale in the south side of Glasgow, covering districts such as Newton Mearns, Giffnock, Clarkston and Busby.

And in an unusual step the first issue, which will be published on Thursday, will not have any advertising and will instead have 40 pages of editorial.

Jonathan told HoldtheFrontPage: “I made a conscious decision not to have advertising in the first edition. It’s difficult to sell ads for a product that doesn’t exist but I have alerted all the ad agencies and this way I will have something to show them.”

Jonathan is also keeping his overheads down by employing a reporter and a photographer and two advertising staff on a freelance basis, and is hoping the new offering will go down well with the area’s affluent population.

It will be on sale in newsagents and supermarkets and will be tabloid size with lots of local news and features as well as travel and motoring to give “value for money and plenty for readers to get their teeth into”.

Jonathan said: “There is no paid-for weekly in the area, only a freesheet [Archant’s The Extra] which covers a much wider area.

“The dummies look really good and I’m confident that it will be received well.

“I’ve never set up my own business before but I think every journalist likes the thought of having their own paper and I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity to try it.

“Who can tell whether it will work or not – but the potential for success outweighs what I would lose if it doesn’t. It’s worth the gamble.”