Newspaper & Mailroom

Chicago Tribune to Enter Mobile Arena With Instant Job Listings for Consumers On the Go

Wednesday 30. July 2008 - QuickText sends listings directly to job seekers' mobile phones

Starting this week, Chicagoland job seekers can get help wanted listings sent directly to their cell phones as part of the Chicago Tribune Media Group’s effort to expand its classified offerings to mobile devices. This marks the first time a U.S. newspaper has ventured into the mobile media space to distribute its job listings.

“We’re committed to growing our business in the multiplatform media world and extending our brands in print, online and now mobile,” said Alison Scholly, vice president / Interactive. “This helps us build for a strong future in a delivery method for classifieds that shows much promise.”

QuickText allows job seekers who text a unique WEB ID to a specific number to instantly receive a detailed job listing on their mobile device. The service debuts this week in conjunction with the printed job listings within the Chicago Tribune’s Tuesday Business section and RedEye, Chicago’s free daily newspaper.

“This program bridges the gap between print and mobile media,” said Ellen Glassberg, director of recruitment advertising. “Readers want immediate information but don’t always have immediate access to a computer. QuickText serves job seekers by sending them listings when, where and how they want them, which we find increasingly includes mobile devices.”

In September, Chicago Tribune will launch a similar program for new and used car listings. And before the end of the year, it will debut one for real estate listings. Currently, Chicago Tribune Media Group presents a number of mobile information offerings, including:

— Breaking news and sports alerts from Chicago Tribune
— RedEye’s Celebrity text alerts, which are sent every weekday afternoon
to more than 1,000 subscribers
— Metromix’s Best Bets, a listing of notable Chicago area events
— Mobile polls and trivia throughout the pages of RedEye