Some newspapers provide special opportunities for the publications of local opinions.
And on Sundays, many newspapers expand their opinion sections. When trying to have a piece published, it can be an incredibly advantageous to know where and when these special opporunities exist. And it can also be advantageous to know your competition. Syndicated columnists, for example, frequently write on timely issues, while topics covered by published op-eds are often less timely and more local in scope. In addition, in an editor's drive to make the opinion pages balanced, he will often choose to publish op-eds that contrast with their columns.