From 7-9p.m., the Boston stations drew a combined 1.764 million viewers in a city that has 2.36 million TV households.

An additional 11% of Boston households were tuned in to coverage on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC from 7-9pm. TVNewser has the breakdown of the cable news ratings in Boston by network.

Here’s the ratings breakdown by station:

7:00-9:00 pm:

• WCVB (ABC): 10.4 rating / 23 share with 609,000 total viewers (10.5 / 22 with 259,000 A25-54)
• WBZ (CBS): 7.3 / 16 with 427,000 total viewers (7.1 / 15 with 175,000 A25-54)
• WHDH (NBC): 6.7 / 15 with 392,000 total viewers (9.1 / 19 with 226,000 A25-54)
• WFXT (Fox): 5.0 / 11 with 292,000 total viewers (6.9 / 15 with 171,000 A25-54)
• NECN: 0.8 / 2 with 44,000 total viewers (0.7 / 2 with 18,000 A25-54)

8:00-9:00 pm:

• WCVB: 11.0 / 23 with 645,000 total viewers (11.7 / 23 with 289,000 A25-54)
• WBZ: 7.6 / 16 with 447,000 total viewers (7.6 / 15 with 187,000 A25-54)
• WHDH: 7.1 / 15 with 417,000 total viewers (9.8 / 19 with 243,000 A25-54)
• WFXT: 5.9 / 12 with 345,000 total viewers (8.4 / 16 with 207,00o A25-54)
• NECN: 0.8 / 2 with 46,000 total viewers (0.7 / 1 with 17,000 A25-54)

 >More: For reference, an alert TVSpy commenter points out that 2012 Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants was watched by 56.7% of Boston households.

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Williams was trapped behind the police barricade during the gunfight, saying he was “so close he could smell the gunpowder.”

“I’m just staying down using the car as shelter,” Williams said. I’ve never in my life been in a situation like this … clearly we’re not in a situation where police would want us, but we can’t get out right now.” Watch:

WHDH-TV 7News Boston

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Some notes from the coverage: WCVB‘s special report, anchored by Heather Unruh and Ed Harding, was simulcast on CNN before Jake Tapper took over the network’s coverage around 1:30amET. WFXT‘s coverage, anchored by Mark Ockerbloom had several reporters spread throughout the city, including Mike Beaudet and Erica Richie. And WBZ got the first interview with the uncle of the suspects, who told the CBS O&O that they “do not deserve to live on this earth.” Watch it here.

Poynter’s Al Tompkins says the overnight coverage is an important reminder of “valuable it is to have experienced journalists on the air who know the city like the backs of their hands”:

I watched a WBZ anchor David Wade, for example, describe street-by-street where police were heading. Say what you want about TV anchors, but here is a guy with years on the street as a reporter and a Massachusetts native.

Boston media are like that. Days like this remind us of why we need journalists who have lived in the market they work in for a long time and who know how to report a story that doesn’t rest.

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All four provided rolling coverage throughout the morning, beginning with the morning newscasts and extending into the 10 a.m. hour. President Obama landed at Logan Airport around 10:15 a.m., about 45 minutes before the scheduled start of the service.

Jonathan Elias and Lisa Hughes anchored on CBS O&O WBZ. Gene Lavanchy and Sorboni Banerjee anchored on WFXT, while Kayna Whitworth and Christa Delcamp anchored on WHDH. Heather Unruh and Ed Harding anchored on ABC affiliate WCVB. All four stations had correspondents spread throughout the city to provide additional reporting from the ground.

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WCVB investigative reporter Janet Wu reported the break in the case at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. WCVB’s tweet beat the Associated Press, which was the next source to report an imminent arrest, by 12 minutes.

#BREAKING: According to @wuwcvb, an arrest in #BostonMarathon bombing is imminent or has already taken place.

— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) April 17, 2013

After the initial reports of an imminent arrest, there were some quick reports — including on CNN and Fox News — that a suspect had been arrested and was being transported to the federal courthouse in downtown Boston. According to the Boston Police, an arrest has not yet been made.

WCVB had been sourcing CNN to report the arrest had been made. Once CNN walked back their reporting, WCVB clarified on the air that there were conflicting accounts of the case’s progress. The station maintains an arrest is imminent.

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WBZ posted video taken by the wife of reporter Paul Burton who was sitting in the grandstands directly across from the initial explosion.

According to the CBS owned station, Burton’s wife was watching runners cross the finish line while he was running the marathon. You can watch the video after the jump. continued…

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WBZ, the Boston CBS owned station, first reported the news at 2:57:29. The station cut in to “The Talk” with anchors Paula Ebben and Bobby Sisk in the studio. They quickly went to a shot from their helicopter on its way to the finish line before going to a live phoner with Lisa Hughes who was on the scene.

WHDH, the Boston NBC affiliate, broke in at 2:59:42.  With an anchor in studio talking under a wide shot of the city skyline, WHDH tossed to a live phoner with Janet Wu. Wu reported the explosions happened inside a building in between Exeter and Dartmouth less than hundred feet from the finish line.

WCVB, the Boston ABC affiliate, cut in to “Katie” at at 3:00:38 with anchor Liz Brunner in the studio.  Brunner then tossed to Sean Kelly who was live by phone.

WFXT, the FOX affiliate, was next to break in, interrupting “Anderson Live” at 3:03:04.  The station began with a helicopter shot of the scene at the finish line.  They quickly went to a live phoner with WFXT news photographer Matt Tomlin. Tomlin said he was on the photo bridge at the finish line when the explosions happened.

An influx of people trying to access Boston’s TV and newspaper websites have caused the sites to either go offline or slow considerably.

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Fitzgibbon joins the station after signing off from rival WFXT last year. She began today as WCVB’s morning meteorologist, replacing Monahan, who has been named co-host of the station’s daily newsmagazine, “Chronicle.”

“JC is an extraordinarily talented journalist and was looking for a new challenge. Cindy is someone we long admired as a competitor and was looking for a return to local television after taking six months off to be with her family,”  WCVB president-GM Bill Fine said in a statement. “The timing was incredibly fortunate for NewsCenter 5 and Chronicle, as this is a true perfect match in every way, for our viewers, JC and Cindy.”

Monahan, who joined WCVB in 2001 and has appeared on the morning newscast since 2004,  will begin as “Chronicle” co-host alongside Anthony Everett in June.

“Co-hosting Chronicle was a dream opportunity I couldn’t pass,” she said. “I’m also excited about a new role in the news department.  My career began in news and it’s nice to be able to bring it full circle.”

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WCVB

Amalia Barreda (left) who has worked for the station for 21 years, will retire at the end of June.

“These 21 years have been a great ride, covering unforgettable stories with thoughtful, hard-working and talented people,” Barreda said in a statement. “This was a huge and hard decision to make, and it is bittersweet to leave so many of you who I consider family to spend more time with family.”

Barreda’s announcement comes on the same day that Danielle Vollmar (right) begins as the station’s weekend morning meteorologist.

“Danielle is a talented and passionate meteorologist, a strong compliment to StormTeam 5,” WCVB president and general manager Bill Fine said in a statement.

Vollmar comes from KDAF, the CW affiliate in Dallas. She has also worked at KOKH in Oklahoma City, WBOC in Salisbury, Md., and WENY in Elmira, N.Y.

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Melissa Mack

Mack will be the meteorologist for WJW’s 4 p.m. newscast, which will debut on the Fox affiliate this fall. It is a return to the station for Mack, who worked at WJW from 2006-09 before joining WBZ.

Mack has also worked at WYTV in Youngstown, Ohio and WTAP in Parkersburg, W.V.

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An undercover WHDH producer was certified to grow and posses medical marijuana at two Massachusetts clinics after showing doctors the x-rays of a dog (video above).

Massachusetts law permits doctors to give a marijuana certification to possess and grow a 60 day supply “after a full assessment” of the “patients medical history” they think the “benefits would outweigh the health risks,” according to WHDH. The producer went to three clinics with just the x-rays — which were of a yellow Labrador’s elbow — and no detailed medical records. She was able to obtain a certification at two of the three health clinics.

“He asked me a couple of questions, but he didn’t do even a basic exam. No heart rate, no blood pressure, he didn’t examine my elbow. The whole thing took seven minutes,” the producer said of one clinic.

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Melissa Mack

“One thing that’s really good about this, my next move,” Mack told viewers while standing with David Wade, Kerry Connolly and traffic reporter Michelle Roberts at the end of this morning’s 6:00 news. “I don’t have to get up at 1:45 in the morning. So I have to be honest with you I threw my alarm clock away this morning.”

WBZ told TVSpy there’s no word where Mack is headed. This morning, Connolly said Mack was “leaving for another opportunity.” Mack did not elaborate. continued…

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However, the Boston Herald is reporting WCVB president and general manager Bill Fine has rejected Rep. Stephen Lynch‘s claims the station is in a contract dispute with the union and said Lynch has relied on “erroneous assumptions.”

Friday, Lynch sent a letter to Fine saying he was excited to participate in an upcoming debate at the Boston ABC affiliate, but he will not spend his ad money with the station due to a contract dispute with IBEW. continued…

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WNYW

WCVB’s early morning newscast, which runs from 4:30 to 7 a.m. and leads into “Good Morning America,” was up double digits in both Total Viewers and A25-54 viewers compared to the same sweeps period last year, according to WCVB. The station’s 4:30 a.m. newscast had a 34% Total Viewer advantage over the second-place newscast, and beat all the competition combined in A24-54 viewers.

Additionally, ABC’s “Good Morning America” on WCVB widened its lead over NBC’s “Today” on WHDH. “GMA” on WCVB won the sweeps period, including the day when “Today” on WHDH was broadcast live from Boston.

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She spread the news on her Twitter feed along with a picture of her peeping over the top of a folder with the word, “Retiring!!” written by hand. She tweeted, “Retiring!  Because I can . So happy!!” You can see a screen grab of the tweet after the jump.

Block confirmed the news with TVSpy saying, “I am retiring because I can and because life is short. I have had a fantastic run, 35 years in the business, 32 of them in Boston, 27 at 7 News. I’m trading in snow storms, chaos and disasters for sunshine and flip flops and time with my family. Life is good ” continued…

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