Highlighting Macon’s musical heritage through mobile-first journalism

Joshua Wilson has spent nearly two decades telling stories about the Deep South.

But when he relocated to Macon in 2025 to lead The Macon Melody, the Mississippi native noticed something remarkable: Everywhere he turned, he encountered the city's extraordinary contributions to music.

"Macon's influence on American music is staggering," Wilson said. "The Allman Brothers, Little Richard, Otis Redding, Jason Aldean — this city shaped, and continues to shape, the music we cherish. But when I looked at how that story was being told, I felt there were ways to do more and meet audiences where they are, which is on social media.”

Wilson is the executive editor of The Macon Melody, a community newsroom serving Bibb County as part of the Georgia Trust for Local News and its parent, the National Trust for Local News. The Melody — so named because of Macon’s musical prowess — was founded in 2024 as the organizations’ first startup newsroom and innovation lab. 

In his new role, Wilson quickly noticed a gap in the paper’s audience connection: Macon's younger residents weren't engaging with traditional long-form storytelling about the city's musical wonders. Meanwhile, local government and other organizations were seeing strong engagement with Instagram Reels.

That observation became the foundation for Wilson's pitch to the National Trust’s first-ever News Innovation Sprint, sponsored by the Google News Initiative. The sprint aimed to empower NTLN's journalists — located in the Peach State as well as Maine and Colorado — to develop and pitch ideas to grow the reach and impact of their work. Wilson proposed "Macon in a Minute," a series of 60-second Instagram Reels spotlighting the city's unparalleled role in shaping American music.

Following a live, virtual event where all 12 sprint finalists presented their ideas to their peers across the National Trust, volunteer judges awarded $55,000 in grants to six projects. The “Macon in a Minute” pitch earned $5,000, plus the “People’s Choice Award,” an honor awarded by employees from across the National Trust. 

"Unlike past projects that treat Macon's music story as static history, this series reimagines it as living journalism — fast-paced, accessible and designed for the platforms where new audiences actually consume content," Wilson said.

Using the grant’s funding, The Melody will produce seven music-themed episodes blending archival material, community voices and modern production techniques. Each episode will make Macon's musical legacy fresh, surprising and shareable.

"Gen Z is reshaping journalism through vibrant, mobile-first formats," he said. "Young audiences are consuming stories through vertical videos, catchy captions and bite-sized visuals. We need to be there."

Wilson plans to launch the series in early 2026, releasing episodes weekly over seven consecutive weeks. The project will involve his entire team, along with student interns from local institutions such as Mercer University, Middle Georgia State University and Wesleyan College.

Beyond the initial series, Wilson envisions expanding "Macon in a Minute" into additional seasons covering civil rights history, food culture, neighborhood stories and civic issues — creating a sustainable model for mobile-first local journalism.

"Macon has a deep affection for its musical history and heritage," Wilson said. "There's a built-in audience ready to engage with content that celebrates and reframes that legacy in fresh ways. We just need to meet them where they are."