I forget where I read this recently, but someone pointed out that magazines cost money to buy, but are chocablock full of ads. Apparently, the revenue from subs

I forget where I read this recently, but someone pointed out that magazines cost money to buy, but are chocablock full of ads. Apparently, the revenue from subscriptions and people buying the magazine at newsstands is insignificant compared to the advertising revenue. Furthermore, the cost of the magazine was used to get more money from advertisers. Since people are shelling out X amount of dollars for the magazine, the sales team can use that to argue that their readers are of a certain income bracket. So, it could be option 2+, subscribers aren't bringing in anywhere near the amount of money they are getting from advertisers, and they may charge advertisers more*to advertise to their paying customers because they have proven they have already shown a willingness to pay for things (online things.)