I don't mean to sound condescending, but are you sure any of these multichannel companies are "listening"?
Dish Network is adding National Geographic, after about a year and a half. Was Dish Network listening a year and a half ago? Did they add it to a list (Mr. Ergen, the CEO, says it was their most requested channel, and therefore had to be on the top of a "request list")? It also turns out that National Geographic was linked to talks for the retransmission of local FOX stations.
DirecTV hasn't added much, lately. CNBC World (and I actually enjoy it) was the latest addition.
But what if DirecTV and Dish Network both should carry "Fine Living", brought to you by the same people as HGTV, Food Network, and DIYNet? If one adds the channel tomorrow and the other adds the channel on January 2003, who "listened"?
Request anything. The provider will put it on a list. Just like your cable company did.