Where can I learn the basics of newspaper advertising rates for movie ads?

Newspapers have rate cards that list their rates for “display” and “classified” advertising. You’re interested in display. Just ask a newspaper’s ad department or go online. I suppose any “bulk discount” is negotiated by private contract.

Very helpful—thank you!

The SRDS should have rates for all major newspapers. Standard Rate and Data Service. It’s been the traditional backbone of media purchasing and production specifications—takes all the rate cards and puts them together in one place. Obviously, what people actually end up paying is based upon the media plan and negotiated rate that the buyer puts together for them, so usually a better deal is struck by a media placement services than what’s listed on the rate cards.

Can this be right?
It’s just under $1,000 to run a full page nationwide ad in the NY Times on a Sunday in Entertainment?

Rate Card
http://www.nytimes.whsites.net/mediakit/newspaper/rates/ad_rates.php

Nope, the rate is by column inch. A full page is 6 columns by 21 inches or, 126 column inches. They do this in order to standardize ad sizes across multiple papers. When you create an ad for newspaper, you can scale it for different publications without having to redesign the ad each time to fit the space purchased.

Oops, completely ignored that.
Just under $126,000 sounds more like it.

By scaling for publications, most newspapers adhere to SAU standards. Standard Advertising Units. Newspapers are consistently sized across the country because they are sized to SAU standards. All columns are the same size.

@questionite
I think it would be fairly simple except require a bit of work. Try making some phone calls to the sales departments. I’m sure it’s commensurate with exposure to certain metropolitan districts as well as costs per size of ads.