The Ford Motor Company has announced that Michigan-based jacAPPS will be the recommended mobile app development house for its new Ford Developer Program. The company has been chosen to provide development and technical support to third-party developers wanting to create voice-activated smartphone apps for Ford SYNC AppLink.
Using SYNC voice commands along with steering wheel and radio buttons, drivers can enjoy a live audio stream or their favorite podcasts from within the mobile app. This is a breakthrough for the radio industry that will allow AM/FM stations to have parity on the vehicle’s digital screen, according to a press release. Recognizing that radio’s leading mobile app developer was in their own backyard, discussions between Ford and jacAPPS began in mid-2012.
“Because of our experience in the radio space, combined with our shared history as Detroit-based companies, a natural partnership quickly developed,” jacAPPS Vice President/ General Manager Paul Jacobs said. “From there, identifying a radio partner for our announcement was an easy call. Greater Media, which has iconic radio stations here in Detroit, as well as great radio brands in Philadelphia, Boston, Charlotte and New Jersey, was the obvious choice.”
“This is a major breakthrough for the radio industry,” said jacAPPS President Fred Jacobs. “Radio and cars are like peanut butter and jelly — always connected. We will now be able to take mobile applications and provide code to allow them to be fully integrated with SYNC AppLink, gain important real estate on the cars’ screen, voice command functionality, and more. This gives radio stations an important piece of digital real estate in the one area where the lion’s share of listening takes place — the car.”
For instance, individual radio stations no longer have to be concerned about their place on the dashboards of “connected cars” based on jacAPPS experience. Now, owners of Ford SYNC AppLink-enabled vehicles will be able to access local radio station apps thanks to jacAPPS’ extensive experience working in radio to create mobile apps providing streaming capability and on-demand content services.
Greater Media radio stations that are live in the iTunes App Store and Google Play market with SYNC AppLink functionality include:
New Jersey: WDHA, WRAT;
Philadelphia: WMMR, WMGK, WBEN, The Fanatic;
Detroit: WRIF, WCSX, WMGC;
Boston: WROR, WBOS, WMJX, WKLB, 96.9 FM; and
Charlotte: WBT-AM, WLNK.
“We are thrilled that our radio stations will be easy to find, conveniently connected and seamlessly voice-controlled in Ford SYNC AppLink-equipped cars,” said Greater Media Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Peter Smyth. “We anticipate being an integral part of the connected car and offering added functionality to our heritage brands.”
Greater Media Inc. is the parent company of 22 AM and FM radio stations in the Boston, Charlotte, Detroit, New Jersey and Philadelphia markets. It also owns a group of weekly newspapers in Central New Jersey, as well as several telecommunications towers located throughout the United States.