Maybe to the locals in Manchester in the UK the some days free some days paid approach for the Manchester Evening News makes sense. As a visitor to the Manchester last week I found the free / paid model odd, almost confusing as I recall checking the day of the week to see if it was a free day. They have been doing it for a while so it must work for them.
I think we are beyond a free versus paid model for the print product as the print product itself is the issue. There was time this model was a reasonable stepping stone from paid only. With more options today for direct brand / consumer engagement platforms like a newspaper (in print or digital) are not as important as they were a few years ago.