Business Segments (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]

Schedule of Segment Reporting Information, by Segment [Text Block]

		Fiscal Year Ended
(in thousands)		2011		2010		2009
Operating Revenues
	Education	$	2,465,048	$	2,862,279	$	2,576,162
	Cable television		760,221		759,884		750,409
	Newspaper publishing		648,039		680,373		679,282
	Television broadcasting		319,206		342,164		272,651
	Other businesses		26,135		46,395		53,921
	Corporate office		-		-		-
	Intersegment elimination		(3,816)		(7,054)		(6,385)
		$	4,214,833	$	4,684,041	$	4,326,040
Income (loss) from operations
	Education	$	89,434	$	346,733	$	227,281
	Cable television		156,844		163,945		169,051
	Newspaper publishing		(18,200)		(9,826)		(163,549)
	Television broadcasting		117,089		121,348		70,506
	Other businesses		(34,787)		(34,966)		(61)
	Corporate office		(14,422)		(24,572)		(12,829)
		$	295,958	$	562,662	$	290,399
Equity in earnings (losses) of affiliates, net			5,949		(4,133)		(29,421)
Interest expense, net			(29,079)		(27,927)		(28,968)
Other (expense) income, net			(55,200)		7,515		13,197
Income from continuing operations before income taxes		$	217,628	$	538,117	$	245,207
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment
	Education	$	87,718	$	77,306	$	80,403
	Cable television		126,302		124,834		124,207
	Newspaper publishing		26,336		30,341		72,870
	Television broadcasting		12,448		12,720		12,299
	Other businesses		325		270		151
	Corporate office		244		1,159		679
		$	253,373	$	246,630	$	290,609
Amortization of intangible assets
	Education	$	21,167	$	21,406	$	21,191
	Cable television		267		327		310
	Newspaper publishing		1,051		1,223		1,010
	Television broadcasting		-		-		-
	Other businesses		5,874		3,786		3,099
	Corporate office		-		-		-
		$	28,359	$	26,742	$	25,610
Impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets
	Education	$	-	$	-	$	8,492
	Cable television		-		-		-
	Newspaper publishing		-		-		-
	Television broadcasting		-		-		-
	Other businesses		11,923		27,477		-
	Corporate office		-		-		-
		$	11,923	$	27,477	$	8,492
Net pension credit (expense)
	Education	$	(6,345)	$	(5,707)	$	(5,414)
	Cable television		(1,924)		(1,919)		(1,851)
	Newspaper publishing(1)		(25,300)		(42,287)		(75,925)
	Television broadcasting		(1,669)		(1,113)		(418)
	Other businesses		(68)		(65)		(82)
	Corporate office		36,983		34,599		33,836
		$	1,677	$	(16,492)	$	(49,854)
Capital expenditures
	Education	$	54,633	$	113,780	$	104,282
	Cable television		143,225		109,579		84,027
	Newspaper publishing		11,405		10,590		18,856
	Television broadcasting		6,415		6,675		13,559
	Other businesses		163		463		926
	Corporate office		-		-		-
		$	215,841	$	241,087	$	221,650
Identifiable assets
	Education	$	2,176,240	$	2,197,277	$	2,188,328
	Cable television		1,145,596		1,141,427		1,164,209
	Newspaper publishing		118,253		206,305		207,234
	Television broadcasting		421,764		436,289		433,705
	Other businesses		11,190		30,038		54,418
	Corporate office		823,641		774,484		729,706
		$	4,696,684	$	4,785,820	$	4,777,600
Investments in marketable equity securities			303,201		340,910		353,884
Investments in affiliates			17,101		31,637		54,722
Total Assets		$	5,016,986	$	5,158,367	$	5,186,206
(1) Includes a $2.4 million and $20.4 million charge in 2011 and 2010, respectively, related to the withdrawal from a multiemployer pension plan.

		Fiscal Year Ended
(in thousands)		2011		2010		2009
Operating Revenues
	Higher education	$	1,399,582	$	1,905,038	$	1,653,276
	Test preparation(1)		303,093		314,879		336,788
	Kaplan international		690,225		585,924		537,238
	Kaplan ventures		74,946		59,296		57,210
	Kaplan corporate and other		4,585		5,537		2,436
	Intersegment elimination		(7,383)		(8,395)		(10,786)
		$	2,465,048	$	2,862,279	$	2,576,162
Income (loss) from operations
	Higher education	$	148,915	$	406,880	$	284,357
	Test preparation(1)		(28,498)		(32,583)		(18,029)
	Kaplan international		46,498		56,152		53,772
	Kaplan ventures		(10,093)		(17,490)		(9,286)
	Kaplan corporate and other		(66,268)		(65,992)		(83,843)
	Intersegment elimination		(1,120)		(234)		310
		$	89,434	$	346,733	$	227,281
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment
	Higher education	$	48,379	$	42,412	$	42,813
	Test preparation		15,489		14,095		17,941
	Kaplan international		16,747		12,839		11,438
	Kaplan ventures		4,189		4,109		3,911
	Kaplan corporate and other		2,914		3,851		4,300
		$	87,718	$	77,306	$	80,403
Amortization of intangible assets		$	21,167	$	21,406	$	21,191
Impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets		$	-	$	-	$	8,492
Kaplan stock-based incentive compensation (credit) expense		$	(1,290)	$	(1,179)	$	933
Capital Expenditures
	Higher education	$	19,735	$	58,660	$	69,131
	Test preparation		17,266		32,798		15,900
	Kaplan international		16,304		14,163		13,900
	Kaplan ventures		2,762		3,050		3,710
	Kaplan corporate and other		(1,434)		5,109		1,641
		$	54,633	$	113,780	$	104,282
Identifiable assets
	Higher education	$	936,029	$	1,043,503	$	1,018,256
	Test preparation		334,343		290,368		285,673
	Kaplan international		809,267		675,127		671,250
	Kaplan ventures		89,043		93,359		58,421
	Kaplan corporate and other		7,558		94,920		154,728
		$	2,176,240	$	2,197,277	$	2,188,328