I had intended to write a long, thoughtful analysis of trends for the year ahead. However, I am stuck in a McDonald's with about half an hour of paid internet access and an overflowing inbox to contend with, so here are some quick predictions for the year ahead:
+ The top box office hits of 2009 will be "feelgood", action and comedy films, few of them starring the big names of the past decade or two. Some celebs will have to take big pay cuts, retreat into character roles, or disappear from the screens altogether - and the world will be a better place for it.
+ There will be some surprises in the world of radio, especially in the Brisbane market. (More on this in coming weeks). Nationally, with the introduction of digital radio, there will be an homogenisation of listening, rather than the genuine choice the technology could offer.
+ At least one Australian commercial television network will go broke, teeter on the brink or be taken over (again) or bailed out, marking the official beginning of the long but terminal decline of free-to-air TV in favour of paid and/or online options.
+ Regardless of the success or otherwise of Eddie McGuire's new TV show, he will be worth more than the Nine Network by the end of this year.
+ One or more long-established Australian newspapers, probably regional titles to begin with, will cease print production altogether. However, newspapers that adapt to changing circumstances - especially those that identify the niches they can fill and celebrate journalistic instinct - will survive for many years to come.