Ratings for Boston stations were through the roof Friday night as all stations had wall-to-wall coverage of the manhunt for Boston marathon bombing suspect in Watertown. During the 8pm hour, when Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was taken into custody, 68% of Boston households were watching the four local network affiliates as well as local cable outlet NECN. Hearst-owned WCVB drew the most viewership.

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.

Boston stations provided special coverage of an interfaith prayer service honoring the victims of the marathon bombings at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross Thursday morning.

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.

Doug Meehan is joining the morning newscast at KPNX, the NBC affiliate in Phoenix.

Meehan, who was a traffic reporter for WFXT in Boston until 2010, announced the news on Twitter:

Resetting alarm clock for new job. Can’t wait. @12news_today #kpnx @12news twitter.com/dougmeehan/sta…

— Doug Meehan (@dougmeehan) December 28, 2012

BTVN reports that Meehan will co-anchor the station’s morning newscast beginning January 14. Since leaving WFXT, Meehan has been a radio host in Massachusetts.

FOX Television Stations has announced “TMZ Live,” a one hour show that takes viewers inside the TMZ newsroom, will now air on all of its FOX stations.

FOX has been slowly adding the show to its station group since March 2012.  After a test run in the Los Angeles market on KTTV, it soon expanded into Phoenix (KSAZ), Boston (WFXT) Chicago (WFLD), Dallas (KDFW), Detroit (WJBK) and Minneapolis (KMSP). Beginning next Fall, FOX will air the show on its remaining stations including New York (WNYW), Philadelphia (WTXF), Washington, D.C (WTTG), Atlanta (WAGA), Houston (KRIV), Tampa (WTVT) and Orlando (WOFL).

“The distribution roll-out of “TMZ Live” is as unconventional and unique as the show itself,” said Ken Werner, president of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. “This slow approach has translated into a strong and loyal daily audience, time period increases and younger demos.  It’s also created a demand in the markets where the series does not yet air.” Read more

WFXT has announced Melissa Mahan will join Heather Hegedus as weekend anchor for the Boston Fox O&O.

“Bringing experience as both an Anchor and a Reporter, Melissa is a tremendous addition to FOX25 News,” said WFXT vice president and news director Paul McGonagle. “It’s a pleasure to welcome her back to the area to cover news important to New England viewers.”

Mahan, who last worked at KOAT, was an anchor and reporter for WLNE in Providence, RI, before anchoring for the Albuquerque ABC affiliate.

“I am honored to join the outstanding team at FOX25,” said Mahan, who will also report for WFXT.  “I’ve missed the Northeast since leaving Providence a few years ago and can’t wait to get back to the wonderful people, culture and sports teams. I look forward to making Boston my home.”

Mahan previously worked at KJCT in Grand Junction, CO, KTVE in Monroe, LA and Fox Sports Net Bay Area.

Meteorologist Shiri Spear is joining WFXT, the Fox O&O in Boston, on November 19.

Spear, a New England native, will be the meteorologist for the morning newscast. She comes from WTVJ, the NBC O&O in Miami.

“Shiri brings an abundance of knowledge and experience in forecasting New England weather,” WFXT vice president and news director Paul McGonagle said in a statement. “She will be a great addition to the FOX25 weather team and we’re happy to welcome her back to her hometown.”

Spear replaces Cindy Fitzgibbon, who signed off from the station last month.

After more than a decade at WFXT, meteorologist Cindy Fitzgibbon is leaving the Fox O&O in Boston.

“I’ve made a decision, just really for personal reasons, that when my contract expires on October 3, I’m not going to re-sign,” Fitzgibbon said on the morning newscast today (video above). “I just kind of want to take a little bit of a break. My last day will be in two weeks.” Read more

Sports anchor Brendan Fitzgerald is joining WFXT, the Fox O&O in Boston.

Fitzgerald, a Massachusetts native, spent the past two years at KGBT in Harlingen, TX. Prior to that, he was sports director at KCWY in Casper, WY.

“Growing up on the Cape, covering sports in Boston has been a lifelong dream of mine,” Fitzgerald said in a statement. “There’s no place like home and no place I’d rather be working than at FOX25, a station I grew up watching.”

Fitzgerald will be the evening sports anchor. He replaces Kristine Leahy, who left WFXT at the beginning of August.

Reporter Catherine Parrotta sang a dramatic rendition of “America the Beautiful” during WFXT‘s morning newscast on July 4th.

On location where Jennifer Hudson was set to perform that night for an Independence Day celebration, Parrotta sang the entire song, while holding an umbrella.

“Somehow everybody at the station heard this rumor that I could sing,” Parrotta said after her performance. “I’m happy to oblige.”  (Video after the jump). Read more

Boston Fox O&O WFXT is expanding its local newscasts beginning next month, VP-GM Gregg Kelley announced today.

Beginning in July, WFXT’s morning newscast, anchored by Gene Lavanchy and Shannon Mulaire, will launch a half-hour earlier, at 4 a.m. The station will also launch a weekend newscast at 6 p.m. The weekend newscast will launch July 7, and the 4 a.m. morning newscast will debut on July 9.

“This additional expansion reflects our ongoing commitment to covering news for the viewers wherever and whenever it happens,” Kelley said in a statement.