Ask Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs why a talk radio station needs a smartphone app and he gives an answer both simple and powerful:  ”Apps can give radio back it’s portability mojo.”

According to Jacobs, whose firm designs and creates radio apps through its JacAPPS division: “Too many broadcasters forget that radio no longer dominates location [listening]. People don’t have Walkman radios anymore and the iPod took radio out of the [portable audio] mix. But people take their phones everywhere, and they are always on.”

Thus, Jacobs says, radio apps should be built around live streaming and on-demand audio.  It’s also good  to include access to personality blogs, videos and any other unique content generated on-air or on the website.  Some station apps include features such as direct connections to call-in lines, geo-location functions, soundboards or an alarm clock function to take advantage of research indicating more people are using their smartphones as, ummm, wake-up devices.  Jacobs encourages stations to be creative, noting that buzz generation is a hallmark of most successful apps.

Good custom-made iPhone apps start at between $2,000 and $3000.  Creating companion versions for Blackberry and Droid phones will add at least that much per platform. The cost can be offset by selling ads on the app.  Another option is to use a design-your-own-app website such as Swebapps.com Asking Jacobs about this approach is like asking a barber what he thinks of the Flowbee.  Still, Jacobs raises some legitimate issues: DIY app sites typically offer limited features, may require the user to pay a monthly fee to use the app, and/or place their own ads within the app.

While Jacobs acknowledges the value of “umbrella apps” like I Heart Radio, he firmly believes it’s better for a station to have its own app on the smartphone screen, which he describes as “beachfront property.”  Being on-screen is akin to having the station on a car radio’s pre-sets.  What’s more, Jacobs adds, stations with their own app get to bask in glory of other brand names represented on the screen.

Of course, none of the above matters unless smartphone users know about your app. “You’ve got to promote it on-air on a constant, steady basis,” he says. “Remember, new smartphone users are potential new cumers.  And people are buying new phones all the time.”