Advertising sponsors to pay for school websites

The St. Petersburg-based television broadcaster Liubimyi Gorod will develop websites for the city's schools. Funding for the project is expected to come from sponsors, who will receive eternal banner space in return. Liubimyi Gorod deputy general director Pavel Sadovnikov estimates that each project participant will get 1.5 million unique visitors each, drawing on the local population of school students and their parents. Liubimyi Gorod estimates the development cost of each website at 5,300 rubles (200 US dollars). The broadcaster has signed contracts for 10 websites and is in partnership talks with the hypermarket chain Lenta. The municipal education committee has readily endorsed the project, as only a quarter of the city's schools have websites.