steve don't take this the wrong way but as a sha
Post# of 45510
Q: What happens if a station chooses the must-carry option?
A: Must-carry stations are generally guaranteed carriage on the cable system on a preferred channel number. Local commercial television stations have the option of electing must-carry status or retransmission consent status, while local noncommercial television stations may only seek carriage on a must-carry basis.
Commercial stations that have elected must-carry status have the option of requesting carriage on the same channel number that they occupy over-the-air, on the channel number that the station occupied on July 19, 1985, or on the channel that the station occupied on January 1, 1992. However, television stations may also be carried on any channel that is mutually agreed upon by the station and the cable operator.
reference source
http://www.fcc.gov/guides/cable-carriage-broadcast-stations