SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Jan. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ford Motor Company announced today at the 2013 International CES in Las Vegas that Michigan-based jacAPPS will be the recommended mobile app development house for their 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 significant breakthrough for the radio industry that will allow AM/FM stations to have parity on the vehicle's digital screen.

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 comments.  "From there, identifying a radio partner for our announcement was an easy call.  Greater Media, who has iconic radio stations here in Detroit – WRIF, WCSX, and WMGC – 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," jacAPPS President Fred Jacobs observes.  "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. Beginning today, 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:

Detroit – WRIF, WCSX, WMGC                                        
Boston – WROR, WBOS, WMJX, WKLB, 96.9 FM
New Jersey – WDHA, WRAT                                            
Philadelphia – WMMR, WMGK, WBEN, The Fanatic
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."

jacAPPS will provide support for all developers interested in integrating their apps with the SYNC© AppLink™ system for voice commands and other functionality.  "We have been training and testing apps on the system for several months and we're available to help the radio industry and all mobile app developers become major players on the connected car dashboard," says Jacobs.  More information can be found at www.jacAPPS.com or at developer.ford.com.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­About jacAPPS - Since November, 2008, jacAPPS has produced 750 mobile apps for local and global broadcasters, including WTOP/Washington, D.C., KIRO/Seattle, WEEI/Boston, WGN/Chicago, 91X/San Diego, and many other legendary radio brands.  Honored by Crain's Detroit Business as the largest mobile app developer in Michigan in 2011 and as a digital innovator by Corp! Magazine, jacAPPS is the leader in developing custom mobile solutions not only for broadcasters, but for other categories, including festivals and events, legal and professional firms, and many others.

About Greater Media – 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.

Paul Jacobs will be available for interviews at the Consumer Electronics Show this week.  To schedule an interview, contact Lisa Riker at (248) 353-9030 or at Lisa@jacobsmedia.com.  Paul Jacobs can be reached directly at paul@jacAPPS.com.

Interviews with Greater Media can be scheduled with Heidi Raphael, Vice President of Corporate Communication, who can be reached at (781) 348-8612 or at hraphael@greatermedia.com.

SOURCE jacAPPS