Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	Note 1: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Description of Business. A. H. Belo Corporation (“A. H. Belo” or the “Company”), headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a distinguished newspaper publishing and local news and information company that owns and operates four daily newspapers and several associated Web sites. A. H. Belo publishes The Dallas Morning News (www. dallasnews.com), Texas’ leading newspaper and winner of nine Pulitzer Prizes; The Providence Journal (www. projo.com), the oldest continuously-published daily newspaper in the U.S. and winner of four Pulitzer Prizes; The Press-Enterprise (www.pe.com) (Riverside, CA), serving the Inland Southern California region and winner of one Pulitzer Prize; and the Denton Record-Chronicle (www.dentonrc.com). The Company publishes various specialty publications targeting niche audiences, and its partnerships and/or investments include the Yahoo! Newspaper Consortium and Classified Ventures, LLC, owner of www.cars.com. A. H. Belo also owns and operates commercial printing, distribution and direct mail businesses. A. H. Belo Corporation was incorporated under Delaware law on October 1, 2007, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Belo Corp. (“Belo”), to serve as a holding company in connection with Belo’s spin-off of its newspaper business and related assets and liabilities. The Company spun off from Belo effective February 8, 2008 through a pro-rata stock dividend to Belo shareholders (the “Distribution”). As a result, A. H. Belo became a separate public company on that date. Following the Distribution, Belo does not have any ownership interest in A. H. Belo, but continues to conduct limited business with A. H. Belo pursuant to various agreements. A. H. Belo and Belo also co-own certain downtown Dallas real estate and several investments associated with their respective businesses. Basis of Presentation. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of A. H. Belo and its subsidiaries have been prepared in accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and in accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Transactions between the companies comprising A. H. Belo have been eliminated in the condensed consolidated financial statements. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010. Operating results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2011 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2011. The Company’s operating segments are defined as its newspapers within a given market. The Company has determined that according to the applicable accounting guidance all of its operating segments meet the criteria to be aggregated into one reporting segment. In the second quarter of 2011, balances previously referred to as Advanced Payments on Property Plant and Equipment are now referred to as Construction in Process. Pension Plans. Through December 31, 2010, certain employees and retirees of the Company participated in The G. B. Dealey Retirement Pension Plan (“GBD Pension Plan”), sponsored by Belo. The Company accounted for its pension obligations pursuant to accounting guidance for multiemployer pension plans. Accordingly, the Company recognized as net pension cost the required contribution for each period and recognized as a liability any reimbursement obligation due and unpaid. On October 6, 2010, the Company and Belo entered into a Pension Plan Transfer Agreement (the “Transfer Agreement”), agreeing to split the GBD Pension Plan. Under the Transfer Agreement, the GBD Pension Plan assets and liabilities related to current and former Company employees were transferred into two newly established pension plans, sponsored solely by the Company, effective January 1, 2011, having similar terms to the GBD Pension Plan. Accordingly, in the fourth quarter of 2010, the Company recognized a loss for the unfunded projected benefit obligation transferred to the new pension plans, as the liability was probable and could be estimated. In 2011, the Company follows accounting guidance for single employer defined benefit plans. Plan assets and the projected benefit obligation are measured each December 31, and the Company records as an asset or liability the net funded position of the plans. Certain changes in actuarial valuations related to returns on plan assets and projected benefit obligations are recorded to other comprehensive income and recognized into earnings over future periods. Net periodic pension expense is recognized each period by accruing interest expense and the return on assets associated with the projected benefit obligation and the plan assets, respectively. As of the effective date of the new pension plans, benefits to participants remained frozen and accordingly, the Company does not recognize on-going service costs as a component of its net periodic pension expense, Additionally, the unfunded projected benefit obligation was recognized in the fourth quarter of 2010 and other comprehensive loss does not include any prior service costs. New Accounting Standards. In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2011-04—Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820); Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“U.S. GAAP”) and International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”). ASU No. 2011-04 provides clarity to the fair value definition in order to achieve greater consistency in fair value measurements and disclosures between U.S. GAAP and IFRS. Additional disclosures are required regarding transfers of assets between Level 1 and 2 of the fair value hierarchy and regarding sensitivity of fair values for Level 3 assets. The effective date of this amendment is for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of this amendment is not anticipated to have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or its liquidity. In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-05—Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Presentation of Comprehensive Income, to increase the prominence of other comprehensive income in financial statements. ASU No. 2011-05 gives businesses two options for presenting other comprehensive income. A statement of other comprehensive income can be included with the statement of operations, which together will make a statement of total comprehensive income. Alternatively, businesses can present a statement of comprehensive income separate from a statement of operations, but the two statements will be required to appear consecutively within a financial report. The effective date of this amendment is for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2011.The Company is currently evaluating its presentation options. The adoption of this amendment will not impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or its liquidity.

Note 1: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Description of Business. A. H. Belo Corporation (“A. H. Belo” or the “Company”), headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a distinguished newspaper publishing and local news and information company that owns and operates four daily newspapers and several associated Web sites. A. H. Belo publishes The Dallas Morning News (www. dallasnews.com), Texas’ leading newspaper and winner of nine Pulitzer Prizes; The Providence Journal (www. projo.com), the oldest continuously-published daily newspaper in the U.S. and winner of four Pulitzer Prizes; The Press-Enterprise (www.pe.com) (Riverside, CA), serving the Inland Southern California region and winner of one Pulitzer Prize; and the Denton Record-Chronicle (www.dentonrc.com). The Company publishes various specialty publications targeting niche audiences, and its partnerships and/or investments include the Yahoo! Newspaper Consortium and Classified Ventures, LLC, owner of www.cars.com.
A. H. Belo also owns and operates commercial printing, distribution and direct mail businesses.

A. H. Belo Corporation was incorporated under Delaware law on October 1, 2007, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Belo Corp. (“Belo”), to serve as a holding company in connection with Belo’s spin-off of its newspaper business and related assets and liabilities. The Company spun off from Belo effective February 8, 2008 through a pro-rata stock dividend to Belo shareholders (the “Distribution”). As a result, A. H. Belo became a separate public company on that date. Following the Distribution, Belo does not have any ownership interest in A. H. Belo, but continues to conduct limited business with A. H. Belo pursuant to various agreements. A. H. Belo and Belo also co-own certain downtown Dallas real estate and several investments associated with their respective businesses.

Basis of Presentation. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of A. H. Belo and its subsidiaries have been prepared in accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and in accordance with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Transactions between the companies comprising A. H. Belo have been eliminated in the condensed consolidated financial statements. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010. Operating results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2011 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2011. The Company’s operating segments are defined as its newspapers within a given market. The Company has determined that according to the applicable accounting guidance all of its operating segments meet the criteria to be aggregated into one reporting segment.

In the second quarter of 2011, balances previously referred to as Advanced Payments on Property Plant and Equipment are now referred to as Construction in Process.

Pension Plans. Through December 31, 2010, certain employees and retirees of the Company participated in The G. B. Dealey Retirement Pension Plan (“GBD Pension Plan”), sponsored by Belo. The Company accounted for its pension obligations pursuant to accounting guidance for multiemployer pension plans. Accordingly, the Company recognized as net pension cost the required contribution for each period and recognized as a liability any reimbursement obligation due and unpaid. On October 6, 2010, the Company and Belo entered into a Pension Plan Transfer Agreement (the “Transfer Agreement”), agreeing to split the GBD Pension Plan. Under the Transfer Agreement, the GBD Pension Plan assets and liabilities related to current and former Company employees were transferred into two newly established pension plans, sponsored solely by the Company, effective January 1, 2011, having similar terms to the GBD Pension Plan. Accordingly, in the fourth quarter of 2010, the Company recognized a loss for the unfunded projected benefit obligation transferred to the new pension plans, as the liability was probable and could be estimated. In 2011, the Company follows accounting guidance for single employer defined benefit plans. Plan assets and the projected benefit obligation are measured each December 31, and the Company records as an asset or liability the net funded position of the plans. Certain changes in actuarial valuations related to returns on plan assets and projected benefit obligations are recorded to other comprehensive income and recognized into earnings over future periods. Net periodic pension expense is recognized each period by accruing interest expense and the return on assets associated with the projected benefit obligation and the plan assets, respectively. As of the effective date of the new pension plans, benefits to participants remained frozen and accordingly, the Company does not recognize on-going service costs as a component of its net periodic pension expense, Additionally, the unfunded projected benefit obligation was recognized in the fourth quarter of 2010 and other comprehensive loss does not include any prior service costs.

New Accounting Standards. In May 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2011-04—Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820); Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“U.S. GAAP”) and International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”). ASU No. 2011-04 provides clarity to the fair value definition in order to achieve greater consistency in fair value measurements and disclosures between U.S. GAAP and IFRS. Additional disclosures are required regarding transfers of assets between Level 1 and 2 of the fair value hierarchy and regarding sensitivity of fair values for Level 3 assets. The effective date of this amendment is for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of this amendment is not anticipated to have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or its liquidity.

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU No. 2011-05—Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Presentation of Comprehensive Income, to increase the prominence of other comprehensive income in financial statements. ASU No. 2011-05 gives businesses two options for presenting other comprehensive income. A statement of other comprehensive income can be included with the statement of operations, which together will make a statement of total comprehensive income. Alternatively, businesses can present a statement of comprehensive income separate from a statement of operations, but the two statements will be required to appear consecutively within a financial report. The effective date of this amendment is for fiscal periods beginning after December 15, 2011.The Company is currently evaluating its presentation options. The adoption of this amendment will not impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or its liquidity.