ATT U-Verse vs DIRECTV Stream

If I could use an OTA, I would, but sadly I live in an apt & have no way to set up an antenna outside.

DIRECTV STREAM does include some OTA local channels. Check their lineup (on the local tab) and see what it has for your area. https://streamtv.directv.com/channels/ 

Antennas are not just outside. If you haven't already done so, try an indoor antenna. Perhaps a good quality one would suffice, and might even include sub-channels in the area that aren't normally carried by pay TV.

Any suggestions on how I handle the withdrawal of some of my favorite channels? 

Review not only the channels you watch, but the programming on them. Double check what other TV providers carry against what it is you want. Consider how "favorite" all those channels, are they make it or break it ones. Check the programming to see if perhaps another channel (or mix of other channels) might still have a lot of what you watch on any specific channel you give up.

Also some channels have streaming on their network owned website. That might give you a backup option, or perhaps a way to easily transition to other options. Something to look into.

That is my suggestion to get the most out of a new provider and to minimize any loss you may experience. As for "withdrawal", look into other programs that interest you whether they be similar genre to what you've watched or something intriguing you haven't checked out yet. If that is closer to the normal understanding of "withdrawal", I would suggest looking into other activities to balance out TV watching as a bit of a break can be a good thing.

Thanks for the info. I thought about an indoor antenna, but I wasn't sure how good they are. The sub channels are some of my favorite. MeTV, H&I, ION etc. 

Some indoor antennas are better than others. If you cannot borrow one to test, just check return policy for any you look at getting.

Some good news, MeTV was just added within the last couple of days to both DirecTV and DIRECTV STREAM. This has been requested (for years) and so a lot of people are happy right now.

H&I is also there.  I don't know if a national feed of Ion exists or if it is purely local broadcast.

I’ve ordered an indoor digital antenna to try from Amazon. If it doesn’t work l, I’ll send it back. I’ll know as soon as I hook it up.

@TheBatman 

If you haven't already, check out Tyler's excellent off-air antenna reviews and recommendations at his YouTube channel .... The Antenna Man. Too many of those Amazon antennas and reviews are pure junk.