• by Wayne Friedman , June 8, 2011

WPP Group is starting up a new video content creation unit headed by former NPR chief executive officer Ken Stern.

The group, Palisades Media Ventures, will create news and public affairs video content for digital and TV platforms that will be sponsored by major marketers. The agency already has similar video content creation business units for WPP clients focused on entertainment programming and content.

"The marketplace is changing," says Stern, who will have the title of president of the new group. "The interest of sponsors that fund content they care about is growing. Our partnership with WPP allows us to work with sponsors on projects early on."

Stern's track record is strong when it comes to this type of sponsored news/public affairs content. During his nine-year tenure at NPR, the network's radio audience more than doubled to 26 million listeners a week, with revenues climbing to $210 million from $75 million.

WPP has a controlling interest in Palisades Media Ventures. The new business group is not aligned in any way with the independently owned Santa Monica, Calif.-based Palisades Media Group.

A WPP spokesman stated: "Given the track record of Ken Stern and the PMV team in developing high-quality news and public affairs, we believe that PMV's sponsorship model will rapidly expand the marketplace for such content."

In February, Stern's group put together a live interactive town hall forum held at the Newseum in Washington D.C. for Microsoft and The Atlantic, which was broadcast live on The Atlantic's site.

Stern says future projects being pitched include a kids' talent search contest, a show about entrepreneurship and a conference on creativity.