Hmm.... interesting offer here. Perhaps they simply do not have enough advertisers filling the spaces in the newspapers so this is a great way to do that? If so, it shows the desperation of print publications even more so than before.

Used to work at an integrated mixed media publisher and by the time I left this was all the rage in display ads too. It rarely was as blatant as this promotion but very real. Normally the publisher would "bundle" print ads that the advertiser didn't want or ask for into a package that essentially gave them added reach for free. You could buy the online ads by themself, or you could buy this package that gives you nearly the identical online program + 3 full page ads for the same price. Which would you like?

You're talking about a recruitment/help wanted/job ad... What else are newspapers to do? This stuff is non-existent in print anymore and online placements are on Craig's List and other sites.