I know they at least use to have a few coin operated newspaper vending machines on street corners in Philadelphia. Not sure about elsewhere, I only ever noticed them in Philly.
Are you sure they were coin-op? Everywhere I've ever seen them, they were free. They were definitely in a ... well, I don't know what you call the newspaper distribution boxes, but they were in one (presumably to protect against rain and such), but they were always free to take everywhere I've seen.
They very well may have been free, I'm not sure. That same general sort of machine though at least.
Ah. Well there goes the idea I had in which they charged for it everywhere except DC (which would have been hilarious).
I believe they were free, or maybe the box...thing was just broken. I remember being amazed seeing The Onion in a printed version when I was in Philadelphia for a bit (I live in Belgium), always just assumed it was but a site. Saw them outside the Superfresh on South and 10th, I believe.