James, 36, a former foreign correspondent for the ABC, replaces Dan Bourchier, who has been seconded to cover the Voice to Parliament by the national broadcaster.

A country kid raised in Dubbo by parents who were both teachers, James knows the value of a local story. And he hopes to also be reporting stories for ABC Canberra as well as presenting them.

"I like the storytelling side so I'm going to try to be on the road a bit," he said. "I think that's the most important thing, the telling of local stories.

"And I think it's also really good that Canberra has its own news. In a era of budget cuts and the rest of it, I think it's really important that we fight to keep it and keep as many people as possible watching it and make sure it's as relevant to as many people as we can."

James said he pursued journalism because he wanted to be a foreign correspondent. He got into community television while at university in the United States and then joined WIN Television in Canberra in 2009. That was followed by a cadetship with the ABC in Darwin and then stints in the press gallery in Parliament House as a correspondent in London and Washington.

He was most recently the ABC's national affairs editor based at Parliament House before taking on the news reading gig.

James and his wife Lisa have two daughters, Charlotte, 7, and Sophie, 4. They live in Jerrabomberra.

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James said he was thrilled to join the ABC Canberra team in their Dickson headquarters.

"It's just a really good newsroom, with a lot of senior people," he said.

"I think if you were to compare the number of senior people in that place compared to any other ABC newsroom, it would stand up really well.

"I think ABC at a local level is probably the most important work that we do. So when the chance came up, I jumped at it."

James will present the 7pm bulletin from Wednesday to Sunday. Adrienne Francis will read the news Monday and Tuesday.

He is a big fan of Canberra and the chance to have "a normal family life" after reporting overseas and covering often traumatic stories such as terrorist attacks and the Grenfell Tower fire.

"Normal life is underrated. When everything is going back in the world, Canberra's just a great place to come back to. I think I've really appreciated that," he said.

"Canberra is a really safe place but also a place where people are really engaged."

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