Predictions for '08? Imus tops the list.

Don Imus returned to radio in December, eight months after he was fired for making a racially charged remark. (Richard Drew/associated press)

Ask not for whom the ball drops: In radio it may drop for you. That's the fear and promise as a new year begins, especially for such endangered species as small community broadcasters and commercial classical formats. But as we make predictions for the upcoming year in radio, we can also hold out hope. Sometimes, we're all wrong. After all, who would have predicted Don Imus's rapid fall and apparent resurrection back when 2007 was young?

Imus remains at the center of many predictions. "Is the new Imus as potent as the old one?" asks Tom Taylor, news editor of Radio-Info.com. From this Globe correspondent's desk, it seems that Imus is likely to ride easily through the primary season, particularly if he keeps likening Hillary Clinton to Satan. Once the presidential election has passed, however, he may be tempted to push the boundaries of good taste - or sink into obscurity.

Looking at Imus's competition, Taylor muses further: "Will budget pressures push any high-priced talent off the airwaves?" At least locally, some industry observers are saying yes. Tom Finneran, for example, may not survive as WRKO-AM (680) weekday morning host, says industry analyst Scott Fybush, editor of North East Radio Watch.

"I'll be interested to see how long Tom Finneran can last on WRKO," says Fybush, "even as they attempt to surround him with a sea of cohosts. And if the show really can't gain traction - what next? There's just not the farm system that there once was to bring new talent into the business, especially in the talk arena."

Fybush is not taking into consideration WTKK-FM (96.9) newcomer Michele McPhee, who has finally landed a promising permanent slot Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. Among other veterans, Howie Carr seems likely to remain at WRKO, at least for a while, after last year's highly publicized departure and return.

Musically, look for more commercial-free zones and less talk by everyone but the biggest-name hosts (in other words, almost everyone but Matt "Matty in the Morning" Siegel, weekdays 6 to 10 a.m. on WXKS-FM, 107.9). Blame the success of new technologies. Satellite radio doesn't seem to be anywhere except new cars, but everyone's got an iPod now, and new docking features are replacing radios. "Music stations will focus on shorter breaks and less talk from DJs as listeners' attention spans continue to dwindle," says Joe Howard, editor-in-chief of Radio Ink magazine.

Glimmers of possibility light up the new year for community broadcasters. Even though the Boston market remains one of the tightest in the country, the FCC did nod toward noncommercial broadcasters last October, allowing potential station organizers to apply for low-power FM licenses. Might a few small, completely local stations begin broadcasting this year? Here's hoping.

Against some expectations, WCRB-FM (99.5), Boston's only commercial classical-music station, looks likely to survive its 60th year. In 2007, current owner Nassau Broadcasting announced a deal with Entercom that would have Entercom buying half the station, which sparked rumors of the format being replaced by yet another WEEI-AM (850) sports talk clone.

As 2007 ended, that danger has passed. "The transaction hit an impasse," says Louis F. Mercatanti Jr., Nassau's president and CEO, who denies that a format change was ever in the works. "If the right opportunity [for an investment partner] came up that made sense, we'd look at it. But we're content with the status quo."

Which leads to an easy call: With the Patriots' success and the Celtics season going well, it seems likely that WEEI will continue strong. After all, Bostonians can talk about the Red Sox all year long.