Cable started as a way of people to not have to fool with an antenna. Then it evolved "cable only" channels. That means that cable operators are sort of duty-b

Cable started as a way of people to not have to fool with an antenna. Then it evolved "cable only" channels. That means that cable operators are sort of duty-bound to offer local stations. I will bet that those local stations are much less likely to be in your list of 5. So what's mainly driving up your cost is local stations charging for carrying them. You'll see the odd game of chicken between local stations and cable operators when the local stations want to raise prices.