Not entirely, historically newspapers had both ads and a sale price. That price was subsidised by ads.

But you’re right that it’s not so clear. Maybe a more straightforward example is broadcast TV: ABC, NBC and the like. Free at delivery, paid for by ads.

Classifieds were a huge source of income as well.

Yes, that's what I meant. Even though it was subsidized by ads, you still needed to pay for it.