The Washington Post, in an effort to raise much needed cash, today unveiled "sponsored views," an opportunity for PR firms to place client content or commentary below the paper's online editorials.

wpThe program is to be expanded to WaPo blogs.

In announcing SVs, the paper said its targeting advocacy, communications and government affairs professionals to "place their message in front of key constituents."

Steve Hills, president/general manager of WaPo, said the "premium placement enables participants to provide their perspectives with unparalleled contextual relevance, while still keeping the lines between news and sponsored messages crystal clear."

SVs will be labeled and run up to 600 characters along with logo and a link to direct readers for more info. There's a limit of three SVs per editorial.

Submissions are reviewed before posting to ensure that content not libelous, defamatory, pornographic, vulgar, hateful or in violation of local/state/national or international laws.

A user must subscribe to one or more SVs' categories including business/economy/labor, trade/financial services; healthcare/wellness; defense/military; gun rights; budget/taxes/deficits; education; energy/environment; foreign policy; human/gay/women’s rights; technology/telecom/intellectual property, and transportation/infrastructure’ and nutrition/food/agriculture.

The first SVs are from National Resources Defense Council on the need for a carbon tax, CTIA-The Wireless Assn. on cybersecurity and Cato Institute and Center for American Progress on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Brian Weiss, manager of WaPo's New Ventures group, developer of SVs, declined to provide specific pricing info to O'Dwyer's.

"At this time we're only providing the rate card to prospective advertisers, rather than media," he said via email.  "Our rates depend on the length an advertiser wants its Sponsored View posted and the length of time since an opinion piece has published."

Weiss did say the ads "will range from as little as $500 to several thousand."