Former ABC weather presenter Vanessa O’Hanlon will be coming to Riverina screens as part of Channel Nine’s push into the local news market.

The new hour-long bulletin will feature local and national stories of interest to the region and is expected to shake up the broadcast news market.

Ms O’Hanlon said she was excited to bring a strong regional focus to television news.

“We’ve got all our reporters on the ground in each regional area and I’m keen to work with them,” she said.

“Not only will we have a strong presence, but we’ll have local windows into communities, so if something’s breaking we’ll be on the scene when it’s happening.”

“If something’s happening in Wagga that’s got national importance we can share it with those markets and vice-versa.”

The hour-long format has been used in Newcastle for a long time, but it’s the first time anything like it has been tried in Wagga.