White House 'Skype' seats to debut on Wednesday

White House press secretary Sean Spicer points to a reporter to take a question during the daily news briefing at the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 30, 2017. Spicer discussed the weekend's immigration turmoil and other topics. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (The Associated Press)

One of the best seats for Wednesday’s White House press briefing will be in Cleveland.

Natalie Herbick of FOX 8 in Cleveland, talk radio host Lars Larson, WPRI Rhode Island's Kimberly Kalunian and Jeff Jobe of Kentucky’s Jobe Publishing were named on Tuesday as the “inaugural panelists” for “Skype seats” at the daily briefings. Press Secretary Sean Spicer announced the creation of the cyber seats during his first briefing on Jan. 23.

“I look forward to virtually welcoming them to the briefing room,” Spicer said Tuesday.

The White House has yet to detail exactly how panelists are selected; however, Spicer said previously that anyone applying for a slot must live at least 50 miles from Washington, D.C. The seats are an attempt on the part of the Trump administration to allow outlets without traditional White House access, due to location, to be present – in a sense – at the briefings.

“Maybe we solicit talk radio and regional newspapers to submit questions — because they can't afford to be in Washington — but they still have a question,” Spicer told The Hill on Jan. 8 as officials were formulating the idea. “Maybe we just let the American people submit questions that we read off as well.”