Yellowpages could save a LOT of money (and trees) if they stopped printing those monstrous sized phone books. Everybody uses their cell phones or computers to look up phone numbers and addresses now. I guess maybe its about the ad revenue that keeps them going...
THAT paid for 50 years' worth of dead trees ?
The Yellow Pages had an extortion racket before computers were ubiquitous. The phone company had a monopoly and weilded it to extort unconscionable rates on businesses, where exclusion for many businesses meant failure. A small tile company might have to pay out $6000 for a small one liner printed on newspaper stock. The end of the Yellow Pages ability to extort such payments is a Godsend to businesses, especially small businesses.
That and the cost of producing the books is rolled into the rate base.
If you knew what they charge for an ad you would not need to ask that question.
The cost is outrageous, for an ad placed on a piece of paper so thin you could use it for TP.