Mass media is a forever changing beast. Radio, magazines, television, and newspapers will continue to be threatened by the growing popularity of the internet in the future.
The internet allows for a more interactive personal way to get the information you want out of the mass media. Websites like youtube.com that allow subscribers to actively add their own material into the media, something that TV cannot offer, will continue to be popular in the future. Television will continue to be popular in the future but the way we use the medium will be forever changed.
This is because people now want more options to choose from within a particular media form. For example, the number of available TV stations has gone up over the last decade. In addition, features like OnDemand, allow for subscribers to have a more hands on approach to what they want to watch.
I see television changing to exclusively OnDemand. There are commercials in programs you order on demand but you can fast forward through them which can be problematic for advertisers. I think finding a way to not allow subscribers to fast forward only through the commercials would benefit everyone.
In the future magazines and newspapers will be offered exclusively on the internet because these mediums make their money on ads not subscriptions. You can still have the same print ads on a computer screen that you would have on a piece of paper. They can also cut the cost of production by posting their material on the internet rather than printing thousands of copies.
The news stories that will be covered will not change much in the future. People will still be fascinated by sex, fear, and celebrities. However, because the internet allows for such diversity people who want “real newsworthy” stories will still be able to find them.