Yes, I think stations should have translators to serve their DMA. (snip!) Seattle has very few translators, but Spokane has many. (snip!)
In my part of the earth those greedmongers at Apollo own KIRO-TV, the local CBS outlet which for now is replaced by The Brian Neylon Show. KIRO, for years, made a big deal about the availability of translator channels for the station. KCPQ/13 (now FOX-owned) also does to a lesser extent, sometimes listing them when they flash a legal ID graphic during a show. Good thing KIRO has a translator near Mount Vernon which serves me while dish and Apollo deal with their failure to make nice. Last night I got my Let's Make A (Primetime) Deal fix and my Colbert fix with that Obama feller. Could have seen ol' neon nose but I have the DVD for that.
Only problem I have is that I need to adjust the eastward antenna a bit. When the weather becomes crappy the picture pixelates with green boxes. I also have a second antenna pointed northward toward Vancouver, BC which means I get to see pretty much every NFL game that gets televised in the Seattle market (the Vancouver CTV stations - both of them - typically schedule the same games as the Seattle stations offer). Bottom line: if you can where you are install a good off-air antenna. You'll be glad you have a backup in the end.
One thing more: I have no idea why stations demand so much money from dish or the others or where it ends up. Very little of it, if any, should be in stockholders' or networks' hands. The money should be used by stations to upgrade their translators (or install new ones where needed) so that all viewers in the market can receive an off-air signal of sufficient quality.