Guarantor Financial Information - Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 41,091	$ 43,920	$ 71,618	$ 24,244
Trade accounts receivable, net		298,474	277,985
Restricted cash at qualified intermediary		0	119,903
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		15,083	26,282
Total current assets		354,648	468,090
Property and equipment, net		470,537	499,472
Other assets, net		70,314	78,999
Definite lived intangible assets, net		871,129	956,300
Broadcast licenses		1,097,100	1,097,100
Goodwill		1,544,624	1,597,486
Advances to consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Total assets	[1]	4,408,352	4,697,447
Current liabilities:
Trade accounts payable		35,800	36,359
Accrued salaries and wages		21,465	36,634
Other accrued expenses and other current liabilities		95,500	104,092
Current installments of long-term debt		3,804	11,781
Current installments of obligation under capital leases		859	815
Total current liabilities		157,428	189,681
Long-term debt		2,231,354	2,400,162
Deferred tax liability		315,234	308,535
Long term capital lease obligations		14,012	14,869
Retirement and postretirement plans		182,987	211,264
Other liabilities		34,920	38,034
Total liabilities	[2]	2,935,935	3,162,545
Noncontrolling interests		24,447	34,481
Stockholders' equity:
Total stockholders' equity		1,447,970	1,500,421	736,981	286,949
Total liabilities, noncontrolling interest and stockholders' equity (deficit)		4,408,352	4,697,447
Parent Company [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		0	2,388	0
Total assets		1,447,970	1,500,421
Current liabilities:
Total liabilities		0	0
Stockholders' equity:
Total stockholders' equity		1,447,970	1,500,421
Total liabilities, noncontrolling interest and stockholders' equity (deficit)		1,447,970	1,500,421
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | Parent Company [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		0	2,388	0	0
Trade accounts receivable, net		0	0
Restricted cash at qualified intermediary		0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		0	0
Total current assets		0	2,388
Property and equipment, net		0	0
Other assets, net		0	0
Definite lived intangible assets, net		0	0
Broadcast licenses		0	0
Goodwill		0	0
Advances to consolidated subsidiaries		0	2,021
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		1,447,970	1,496,012
Total assets		1,447,970	1,500,421
Current liabilities:
Trade accounts payable		0	0
Accrued salaries and wages		0	0
Other accrued expenses and other current liabilities		0	0
Current installments of long-term debt		0	0
Current installments of obligation under capital leases		0	0
Total current liabilities		0	0
Long-term debt		0	0
Deferred tax liability		0	0
Long term capital lease obligations		0	0
Retirement and postretirement plans		0	0
Other liabilities		0	0
Total liabilities		0	0
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Stockholders' equity:
Total stockholders' equity		1,447,970	1,500,421
Total liabilities, noncontrolling interest and stockholders' equity (deficit)		1,447,970	1,500,421
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | LIN Television Corporation [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		1,103	9,658	0	0
Trade accounts receivable, net		75,866	84,355
Restricted cash at qualified intermediary		0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		3,264	17,278
Total current assets		80,233	111,291
Property and equipment, net		158,627	179,057
Other assets, net		12,960	8,565
Definite lived intangible assets, net		368,011	403,866
Broadcast licenses		0	0
Goodwill		527,077	527,077
Advances to consolidated subsidiaries		(206,396)	(456,741)
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		1,319,392	1,319,033
Total assets		2,259,904	2,092,148
Current liabilities:
Trade accounts payable		2,010	4,014
Accrued salaries and wages		2,022	9,384
Other accrued expenses and other current liabilities		23,237	43,901
Current installments of long-term debt		0	0
Current installments of obligation under capital leases		575	441
Total current liabilities		27,844	57,740
Long-term debt		673,628	291,442
Deferred tax liability		62,785	189,801
Long term capital lease obligations		12,953	13,529
Retirement and postretirement plans		25,917	33,031
Other liabilities		8,807	10,593
Total liabilities		811,934	596,136
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Stockholders' equity:
Total stockholders' equity		1,447,970	1,496,012
Total liabilities, noncontrolling interest and stockholders' equity (deficit)		2,259,904	2,092,148
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		35,925	27,371	67,508	22,655
Trade accounts receivable, net		192,306	172,574
Restricted cash at qualified intermediary		0	119,903
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		10,441	7,684
Total current assets		238,672	327,532
Property and equipment, net		309,160	314,534
Other assets, net		53,721	67,961
Definite lived intangible assets, net		458,261	506,619
Broadcast licenses		1,025,800	1,025,800
Goodwill		924,708	977,570
Advances to consolidated subsidiaries		223,051	456,359
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Total assets		3,233,373	3,676,375
Current liabilities:
Trade accounts payable		30,689	31,794
Accrued salaries and wages		19,016	26,536
Other accrued expenses and other current liabilities		68,101	53,042
Current installments of long-term debt		0	8,218
Current installments of obligation under capital leases		256	303
Total current liabilities		118,062	119,893
Long-term debt		1,533,379	2,080,570
Deferred tax liability		253,232	115,949
Long term capital lease obligations		1,059	1,312
Retirement and postretirement plans		157,070	178,233
Other liabilities		20,999	22,037
Total liabilities		2,083,801	2,517,994
Noncontrolling interests		0	10,981
Stockholders' equity:
Total stockholders' equity		1,149,572	1,147,400
Total liabilities, noncontrolling interest and stockholders' equity (deficit)		3,233,373	3,676,375
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		4,063	4,503	4,110	1,589
Trade accounts receivable, net		30,302	21,056
Restricted cash at qualified intermediary		0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		1,378	1,320
Total current assets		35,743	26,879
Property and equipment, net		2,750	5,881
Other assets, net		3,633	2,473
Definite lived intangible assets, net		44,857	45,815
Broadcast licenses		71,300	71,300
Goodwill		92,839	92,839
Advances to consolidated subsidiaries		(16,655)	(1,639)
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Total assets		234,467	243,548
Current liabilities:
Trade accounts payable		3,101	551
Accrued salaries and wages		427	714
Other accrued expenses and other current liabilities		4,162	7,149
Current installments of long-term debt		3,804	3,563
Current installments of obligation under capital leases		28	71
Total current liabilities		11,522	12,048
Long-term debt		24,347	28,150
Deferred tax liability		(783)	2,785
Long term capital lease obligations		0	28
Retirement and postretirement plans		0	0
Other liabilities		5,114	5,404
Total liabilities		40,200	48,415
Noncontrolling interests		24,447	23,500
Stockholders' equity:
Total stockholders' equity		169,820	171,633
Total liabilities, noncontrolling interest and stockholders' equity (deficit)		234,467	243,548
Consolidation, Eliminations [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		0	0	$ 0	$ 0
Trade accounts receivable, net		0	0
Restricted cash at qualified intermediary		0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		0	0
Total current assets		0	0
Property and equipment, net		0	0
Other assets, net		0	0
Definite lived intangible assets, net		0	0
Broadcast licenses		0	0
Goodwill		0	0
Advances to consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		(2,767,362)	(2,815,045)
Total assets		(2,767,362)	(2,815,045)
Current liabilities:
Trade accounts payable		0	0
Accrued salaries and wages		0	0
Other accrued expenses and other current liabilities		0	0
Current installments of long-term debt		0	0
Current installments of obligation under capital leases		0	0
Total current liabilities		0	0
Long-term debt		0	0
Deferred tax liability		0	0
Long term capital lease obligations		0	0
Retirement and postretirement plans		0	0
Other liabilities		0	0
Total liabilities		0	0
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Stockholders' equity:
Total stockholders' equity		(2,767,362)	(2,815,045)
Total liabilities, noncontrolling interest and stockholders' equity (deficit)		$ (2,767,362)	$ (2,815,045)

[1] Consolidated assets as of December 31, 2015, and 2014, include total assets of variable interest entities (VIEs) of $145 million and $151 million, respectively, which can only be used to settle the obligations of the VIEs. See Note 1: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.

[2] Consolidated liabilities as of December 31, 2015, and 2014, include total liabilities of VIEs of $39 million and $43 million, respectively, for which the creditors of the VIEs have no recourse to the Company, except for certain of the debt, which the Company guarantees. See Note 1 and Note 4.