White House offers split-screen experience for SOTU viewing incentive

If you’re the President of the United States, heading into your sixth year of office, facing disapproval over your leadership, how do you get people to pay attention to your State of the Union address? How do you get them to care?

If you’re on President Barack Obama’s team, you’ll do everything you can to connect people to the president and invite them to join the show.

In the White House’s split-screen live stream of the State of the Union, President Obama will appear alongside image and text graphics that will offer accompanying details to his address. The “enhanced” State of the Union address is meant to provide the public with a different viewing experience of the president’s message.

Video by The White House

And if you’re curious about what type of preparation goes into the making of the president’s speech, the White House released a behind-the-scenes look earlier Tuesday.

Video by The White House

But let’s not let this insight overshadow some other big White House news. Last week, Jay Carney, alongside Josh and Will from the West Wing (known as actors Bradley Whitford and Joshua Malina in real life) declared Wednesday, Jan. 29, as Big Block of Cheese Day.

Evidently, the day will have nothing to do with cheese and everything to do with social media as White House officials answer questions on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and anywhere else you have an avatar.

*Will you be watching Tuesday’s State of the Union? Join @NewsHour’s watch party on Twitter with #NewsHourSOTU. And for a chance to be featured on our Wednesday night broadcast, upload your video reaction once the speech is finished.*

H/T Colleen Shalby