Newspaper Page Text
2A Thursday, February 23, 2023
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
WWE increasing social media
presence ahead of possible sale
AMR NABILI Associated Press
Spectators watch fire works during the World Wrestling
Entertainment “WWE” Crown Jewel matches at King Fahd
International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Thursday,
Oct. 31,2019.
BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN
Associated Press
WWE, an organization
that is already king of
the ring on social media,
will attempt to expand its
online presence this year
with the $6.5 billion sports
entertainment company
hinting that it may put itself
up for sale.
WWE surpassed 20 mil
lion followers on its flag
ship TikTok account during
its most recent quarter,
the first sports league to
do so, and it’s launching
three international TikTok
accounts after the WWE
Espanol TikTok handle
reached nearly 2 million
followers in its first year,
according to the company.
WWE’s presence online
is already broad and it does
not appear to be slowing
down.
The company’s You
Tube channel topped 92
million subscribers in the
fourth quarter, making it
one of only 10 channels
on the platform to surpass
the 90 million subscriber
mark, according to Paul
Levesque, the company’s
chief content officer and
director who wrestled
under the name Triple H.
To put those numbers in
perspective, the National
Basketball Association
has 19.8 million subscrib
ers, the National Football
League has 10.6 million,
and Major League Baseball
has 4.05 million.
Part of the reason is that,
unlike the NFL, NBA and
MLB, the WWE has no off
season. It churns out new
content from television
shows and premium live
events all year long and its
fans eat it up.
The online presence of
the company is so pervasive
that it seeps into the social
media posts from some of
the world’s biggest athletes.
After defeating the Phil
adelphia Eagles in Super
Bowl LVII, Kansas City
Chiefs quarterback and
MVP Patrick Mahomes
posted a photo of himself
on Twitter holding the
Vince Lombardi trophy in
one hand, and a WWE belt
in the other.
That photo has been
viewed more than 23 mil
lion times and that number
keeps rising.
Constant innovations
that are blended with
entertainment sets WWE
apart on social media plat
forms, said Christopher
Zook, chairman and chief
investment officer of CAZ
Investments.
“It has consistently found
ways to generate interest
and stay ahead of the grow
ing changes in consumer
behavior,” Zook said. “The
viral, fan-service nature of
their content is how they
have built so much staying
power.”
Increased sports viewer-
ship has put a premium on
the value of organizations
with a large following and
that moves WWE to the
front of the line for com
panies looking to expand
into new areas, said Zook,
particularly when seeking
to reach key demographics
willing to spend.
And the platforms on
which the WWE is focused
increasingly attract a
crowd with discretionary
income to spend.
Among those between
the ages of 18 and 29,
95% say they use You
Tube, according to a Pew
Research Center survey
on social media use by U.S.
adults in 2021.
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© 2023, Vol. 76, No. 39
Thursday, February 23,2023
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EVENTS
“Much Ado About Nothing.” 8-10 p.m. Feb.
24-25; 2-4 p.m. Feb. 26. The Holly Theatre,
69 W. Main St., Dahlonega. 706-530-5162,
info@hollytheater.com. $15-$30.
Church Choir Festival. 3-5 p.m. Feb 26.
Dahlonega Baptist Church, 234 Hawkins St.,
Dahlonega. 706-864-1423, cherri.helms@
ung.edu.
Believers Concert Band and Gainesville Ballet.
4-5 p.m. Feb. 26. Gainesville First United
Methodist Church, 2780 Thompson Bridge
Road, Gainesville. 770-364-5442, info@be-
lieversband.com. Free.
Mommy & Me. 10:30-11:30 a.m. March
1. Elachee Nature Science Center, 2125
Elachee Drive, Gainesville. 770-535-1976,
sam@elachee.org.
University of North Georgia Jazz Band. 7:30-
8:30 p.m. March 1. Floag Student Center, 82
College Circle, Dahlonega. 706-864-1423,
cherri.helms@ung.edu.
Symphony No. 100 “Military Symphony”. 7-9
p.m. March 2. UNG Shott Performance Hall,
82 College Circle, Dahlonega. 706-864-
1423, cherri.helms.ung@gmail.com. Free.
Sinfonietta. 7:30-9 p.m. March 2. Nix Fine
Arts Center, 238 Georgia Circle, Dahlonega.
706-864-1423, cherri.helms@ung.edu.
Lake Lanier Boat Show. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
March 3-5. Margaritaville at Lanier Islands,
7000 Lanier Islands Parkway, Buford. 678-
960-2908, info@lakelanierboatshow.com.
$15.
Dahlonega Literary Fest. March 4. Dahlonega
Baptist Church, 234 Hawkins St.,
Dahlonega. 706-265-9212, set1 ©wind-
stream.net. $20.
Live Animal Showcase. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
March 4. Elachee Nature Science Center,
2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville. 770-535-
1976, sam@elachee.org.
ONGOING
Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group. 5:30-
6:30 p.m. first Tuesdays of the month. Grace
Episcopal Church, 422 Brenau Ave. NE,
Gainesville. 727-409-6608, charlenebestde-
witt@gmail.com. Free.
Gold Rush Quilting Guild. 10 a.m. to noon
first Wednesdays of the month. Friendship
Baptist Church, 3513 Westmoreland Road,
Cleveland, alenekempton@gmail.com.
Turning Leaves Book Club. 11:30 a.m. to 1
p.m. first Wednesdays of the month. Lin-
wood Nature Preserve Ecology Center, 118
Publish your event
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See more
Go to gainesvilletimes.com/calendar
for the full interactive calendar of
events throughout the region.
Springview Drive, Gainesville. 770-535-8293,
karin.hicks@uga.edu.
Northeast Georgia Writers. 1 -3 p.m. first
Wednesdays of the month. Gainesville Down
town Library, 127 Main St. NW, Gainesville.
Talltaleswriter@gmail.com. Free.
Card workshop. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. first Sat
urdays of the month. Hall County Library
System, Gainesville branch, 127 Main St.
NW, Gainesville. 770-532-3311 ext. 4011,
gkoecher@hallcountylibrary.org.
Ekphrasis for the Masses. Noon to 1 p.m. sec
ond Tuesdays of the month. Quinlan Visual
Arts Center, 514 Green St. NE, Gainesville.
770-536-2575, info@qvac.org. Free.
War Stories Book Club. 4-5 p.m. second Thurs
days of the month. Murrayville Branch Li
brary, 4796 Thompson Bridge Road, Gaines
ville. 770-532-3311 ext. 171. Free.
Discovery Saturdays. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. second
Saturdays of the month. Elachee Nature Sci
ence Center, 2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville.
770-535-1976. $3-$5.
Georgia Cross Stitchers. 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
second Saturdays of the month. Hall County
Library System, Gainesville Branch, 127 Main
St. NW, Gainesville. 770-532-3311 ext. 4011;
gkoecher@hallcountylibrary.org. Free.
Homeschool Day. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. third
Thursdays of the month. Elachee Nature Sci
ence Center, 2125 Elachee Drive, Gainesville.
770-535-1976. $15.
Gainesville Lacers. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. third
Saturdays of the month. Hall County Library
System, Gainesville branch, 127 Main St.
NW, Gainesville. 770-532-3311, gkoecher@
hallcountylibrary.org.
Tea with Jane Austen: A Reading Group. 3-4
p.m. fourth Fridays of the month. Hall County
Library System, Gainesville Branch, 127 Main
St. NW, Gainesville. 770-532-3311 ext. 4011,
gkoecher@hallcountylibrary.org. Free.
TODAY IN HISTORY
JOE ROSENTHAL I Associated Press
U.S. Marines of the 28th Regiment, 5th Division, raise the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi,
Iwo Jima, Feb. 23,1945. Strategically located only 660 miles from Tokyo, the Pacific island
became the site of one of the bloodiest, most famous battles of World War 11 against Japan.
On this date:
In 1836, the siege of the Alamo began in San
Antonio, Texas.
In 1861, President-elect Abraham Lincoln ar
rived secretly in Washington to take office, fol
lowing word of a possible assassination plot
in Baltimore.
In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt
signed an agreement with Cuba to lease the
area around Guantanamo Bay to the United
States.
In 1942, the first shelling of the U.S. mainland
during World War II occurred as a Japanese
submarine fired on an oil refinery near Santa
Barbara, California, causing little damage.
In 1945, during World War II, U.S. Marines on
Iwo Jima captured Mount Suribachi, where
they raised two American flags (the second
flag-raising was captured in the iconic Associ
ated Press photograph.)
In 1954, the first mass inoculation of school-
children against polio using the Salk vaccine
began in Pittsburgh as some 5,000 students
were vaccinated.
In 1998,42 people were killed, some 2,600
homes and businesses damaged or de
stroyed, by tornadoes in central Florida.
In 2007, a Mississippi grand jury refused to
bring any new charges in the 1955 slaying
of Emmett Till, the Black teenager who was
beaten and shot after being accused of whis
tling at a white woman, declining to indict the
woman, Carolyn Bryant Donham, for man
slaughter.
In 2011, in a major policy reversal, the Obama
administration said it would no longer defend
the constitutionality of the Defense of Mar
riage Act, a federal law banning recognition of
same-sex marriage.
ENTERTAINMENT
‘Rust’ to move to Mont,
when production resumes
Production for “Rust” will move to Mon
tana when it resumes more than a year
after the fatal on-set shooting of cinema
tographer Halyna Hutchins, producers said
Wednesday.
Filming will take place at the Yellow
stone Film Ranch in Livingston this spring
after previously being held at the Bonanza
Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico,
according to the announcement.
“The beauty of Montana surpasses
words, and the warm hospitality and kind
ness extended by everyone I’ve met has
been both humbling and inspiring,” direc
tor Joel Souza said in a statement. “It is a
privilege to work with such great partners
as we see this through on Halyna’s behalf.”
Hutchins, 42, died in October 2021 after
being shot by a firearm handled by Alec
Baldwin, a star and producer on the film.
Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez
Reed were charged last month with invol
untary manslaughter. Baldwin has claimed
he was told the gun was cold, indicating it
wasn’t loaded with live ammunition.
On Monday, New Mexico 1st Judicial
District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies
Celebrity birthdays
Football Flail of Famer Fred Biletnikoff is 80. Au
thor John Sandford is 79. Actor Patricia Richard
son is 72. Former NFL player Ed “TooTall” Jones
is 72. Rock musician Brad WhiHord (Aerosmith)
is 71. Singer Howard Jones is 68. Rock musician
Michael Wilton (Queensryche) is 61. Country
singer Dusty Drake is 59. Actor Kristin Davis is 58.
Former tennis player Helena Sukova is 58. Actor
Marc Price is 55. TV personality/businessman
Daymond John (TV: “Shark Tank”) is 54. Actor
Niecy Nash is 53. Rock musician Jeff Beres (Sis
ter Hazel) is 52. Country singer Steve Holy is 51.
Rook musician Lasse Johansson (The Cardigans)
is 50. Film and theater composer Robert Lopez
is 48. Actor Josh Gad is 42. Actor Emily Blunt is
40. Actor Aziz Ansari is 40. Actor Tye White (TV:
“Greenleaf j is 37. Actor Dakota Fanning is 29.
dropped a firearm enhancement, eliminat
ing a minimum five-year sentence, after
Baldwin’s legal team argued the charge
stemmed from a statute that passed months
after the shooting. Baldwin now faces a
maximum sentence of 18 months with no
minimum sentence.
Producers announced last week their
plans to restart “Rust” in the spring with
original and new crew members. Bianca
Cline will take over as the film’s cinema
tographer and Hutchins’ widower, Matthew
Hutchins, will serve as executive producer.
Tribune News Service
