Reply #1: I seem to remember reading that certain cable companies... [View All]

[Kutjara]

...conserve bandwidth on their networks by not carrying broadcast channels. When the installer comes to your house, he/she installs both the cable and a connection to the tv antenna on your roof. You then get all the cable stuff through the cable, and the other channels through the antenna. If you haven't got your box hooked up to an antenna, though, it logically follows you wouldn't get those channels.

I don't know if your situation is the same without knowing the specifics of each box in your house, but I thought I'd mention it as something worth exploring.