It’s 2020 and the start of a new decade. Twenty years into the 21st century, the media landscape is showing signs of becoming, if not wiser, at least more in tune with the realities facing it.

• It’s a mobile-first world for the audience.
• It’s an opportune time to become more aggressive about monetizing content.
• It’s time to stop romanticizing the print product — give it its place, but not at the head of the table.
• It’s not too late to become serious about the impact of audio. Start that podcast now!

Those realities are given plenty of lip service at gatherings of publishers and editors. They’re the most popular subjects in my seminars and workshops globally. However, in 2020 we must move more rapidly from talking to doing. I predict that discussions will center around two of those topics: a mobile-first approach and the creation of teams to develop podcasts and all things audio.

The mobile-first movement that developed quite strongly in 2019 will pick up pace in 2020. I see it in my own work: Medium- and small-sized regional newspapers around the world are discovering the benefits of providing quick, easy-to-access information on mobile devices. This requires complete transformation in the newsroom, and not just in the architecture: Yes, the physical walls may need to come down, but the mental ones, more difficult to move, must also provide for dramatic change.

Mobile-first means that every reporter conceptualizes and writes stories to be consumed on the smallest of devices. In a mobile-first environment, we go from small to large, not the other way around. Everything is created for mobile consumption, then adapted to other, larger platforms. When mobile-first becomes essential, the way a story moves adapts to the requirement for constant updates as well as for the inclusion of audio and video. Premium content that readers will pay for can be generated more readily across platforms, but with an emphasis on linear mobile storytelling.

When the thinking is mobile-first, including audio also becomes easier, and it’s a natural evolution for podcasts. One can’t overemphasize the importance of audio with today’s news consumers. This is definitely the year and the decade of mobile-first journalism! And let’s hear it also for those podcasts that are such an integral part of it.