The papers desk
Rates by paper: who publishes, who makes you call
Eleven profiles: every desk's rate posture verified against its own site, with no invented figures for the ones that hide theirs.
Of the major US papers and chains a 2026 buyer will actually meet, exactly one, The Wall Street Journal, publishes an open print rate card. The rest are quote-only: the price exists when a salesperson says it to you. Each profile below states the posture, the process, and the published evidence, with retrieval dates.
Source: Each seller's own advertising site; statuses verified per profile, retrieved Jul 31, 2026.
National papers
The prestige buys. One still publishes a card; the rest sell by conversation.
| Paper / seller | Rate status | Cheapest published figure |
|---|---|---|
| The Wall Street Journal (Dow Jones) | Published card | $352.53 / col. inch |
| The New York Times | Quote-only | None published |
| USA Today / Gannett (LocaliQ) | Quote-only | None published |
| The Washington Post | Quote-only | None published |
Metro dailies
The tier a regional business most often means by 'the paper.' Quote-only across the board, with self-serve portals for classifieds and obituaries.
| Paper / seller | Rate status | Cheapest published figure |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Times | Quote-only | None published |
| Chicago Tribune (Tribune Publishing) | Quote-only | None published |
| New York Post | Quote-only | None published |
The chains
One rep, many mastheads. How you buy most local dailies in 2026 whether you know it or not.
| Paper / seller | Rate status | Cheapest published figure |
|---|---|---|
| Gannett / USA Today Network | Quote-only | None published |
| Lee Enterprises | Quote-only | None published |
| Hearst Newspapers | Quote-only | None published |
Placement services
Not papers: the broker class that places across papers.
| Paper / seller | Rate status | Cheapest published figure |
|---|---|---|
| Placement services (Mediabids class) | Quote-only | None published |
Which tier fits
Matching a budget to a masthead
A regional SMB almost never belongs in the national tier: you pay for millions of readers outside your service area. The metro daily fits when your market is the metro; the local weekly, cheapest per useful reader, fits when your customers live in one town. The full cost-per-reader argument, with the arithmetic, is at local vs national; head-to-head pairings start at NYT vs WSJ.