Melanie Hebert, who left New Orleans NBC affiliate WDSU in June, will join rival station WWL — the market’s CBS affiliate — when her non-compete clause expires in 2012.

Beginning in July of next year, Hebert will be the morning anchor for WWL. She will be paired with Mike Hoss during the 5 a.m. hour and Eric Paulsen and Sally-Ann Roberts from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. She will also serve as the station’s Internet and social media correspondent beginning in January, which will presumably give her a chance to be part of WWL’s digital brand while waiting for her on-air non-compete clause to expire.

Hebert, a New Orleans native, said in a statement she “grew up watching” WWL. “It wasn’t my first choice to sit out for a year,” she told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “When it came down to it, I really wanted to stay in this market.”