Mobile marketing services company Vibes Media signed a deal to extend newspaper giant Tribune Co.'s editorial to the mobile channel.

Vibes has converted thousands of articles from the Tribune Media Services content into a mobile-ready format and for mobile publishing on a regular basis. This is said to be Tribune's first major effort to leverage its print and online content across mobile.

"Basically, we're opening up a new revenue channel for Tribune Media Services for existing content," said Rohan Deuskar, director of product innovation and product incubation at Vibes, Chicago.

Wireless carrier U.S. Cellular is the first company to sign up to offer its customers daily and weekly SMS alerts of Tribune content.

U.S. Cellular will provide this white-label service to its subscribers for a fee. Subscribers can visit the site at http://www.uscellular.com to sign up for the service.

Content offered includes Tribune columns published in print and online from Dave Barry, Wolfgang Puck, Garrison Keillor, Linda Black, Henry Kissinger, Ariana Huffington, Carl Hiaasen and Rick Steves.

Also, subscribers can register for daily alerts, horoscopes, jokes, quotes and original Vibes-created content.

"We do some SMS alert services for our clients, mainly in wireless and media," Mr. Deuskar said. "But this is the first time we're doing something on this scale."

Based in Chicago, Tribune Media Services distributes content from Tribune company media properties such as the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times newspapers as well as television and movie listings under its brand and Zap2it.

Founded 10 years ago, Vibes is said to have launched the nation's first mobile campaign, the first Text-2-Win program, the first Text-2-Screen event and the first Text Adventure game.

With its latest effort, the challenge is trying to take a Dave Barry column, for example, and distill it into 150 words, Mr. Deuskar said.

"I think now we've basically figured out how to take content that's locked up in print form or in long form and basically distill the best of that content while retaining the exact quotes," he said.