Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements - Statements of Operations and Comprehensive (Loss) Income (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended												12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015		Sep. 30, 2015		Jun. 30, 2015		Mar. 29, 2015		Dec. 31, 2016		Dec. 31, 2015		Dec. 28, 2014
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Total operating revenues	$ 529,624	$ 470,038	$ 479,796	$ 468,472	$ 478,009		$ 442,975		$ 458,416		$ 422,567		$ 1,947,930	[1]	$ 1,801,967	[1]	$ 1,780,625	[1]
Programming Expense and Direct Operating Costs													906,333		912,182		718,863
Selling, general and administrative													592,220		543,065		519,131
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization, Nonproduction													225,489		230,958		259,497
Goodwill and Intangible Asset Impairment													3,400		385,000		0
(Gain) loss on sales of real estate	(1,000)		1,000										(213,086)		97		(21,690)
Total operating expenses													1,514,356		2,071,302		1,475,801
Total operating profit (loss)	113,206	234,170	56,206	29,992	(396,926)		45,036		25,148		57,407		433,574	[1],[2]	(269,335)	[1],[2]	304,824	[1],[2]
Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments	33,861	31,737	44,306	38,252	27,125		36,987		45,913		36,934		148,156		146,959		236,713
Investment Income, Interest and Dividend	390	476	228	132	246		148		0		326		1,226		720		1,264
Interest expense	(38,211)	(38,296)	(38,071)	(38,141)	(38,473)		(38,659)		(36,315)		(35,140)		(152,719)		(148,587)		(141,629)
Loss on extinguishment of debt					0		0		(37,040)		0		0		(37,040)		0
Gain (Loss) on Investments					103	[3]	3,250	[3]	8,133	[3]	687	[3]	0		12,173	[3]	371,785
Other non-operating income (expense)													4,005		5,691		(12,072)
Intercompany Income													0		0		0
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes	114,007	227,710	62,228	30,297	(402,407)		48,346		5,420		59,222		434,242		(289,419)		760,885
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)	43,280	73,871	214,856	15,195	(13,829)		14,510		2,624		22,613		347,202		25,918		284,266
Income (Loss) from Consolidated Subsidiaries, Net of Tax													0		0		0
Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations	70,727	153,839	(152,628)	15,102	(388,578)		33,836		2,796		36,609		87,040		(315,337)		476,619
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent	(51,776)	(8,074)	(8,935)	(4,009)	7,650		(5,978)		(6,061)		(192)		(72,794)		(4,581)		44
Net Income (Loss)	$ 18,951	$ 145,765	$ (161,563)	$ 11,093	$ (380,928)		$ 27,858		$ (3,265)		$ 36,417		14,246		(319,918)		476,663
Comprehensive Income (Loss)													3,480		(344,393)		291,527
Consolidation, Eliminations
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Total operating revenues													0		0		0
Programming Expense and Direct Operating Costs													0		0		0
Selling, general and administrative													0		0		0
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization, Nonproduction													0		0		0
Goodwill and Intangible Asset Impairment													0		0
(Gain) loss on sales of real estate													0		0		0
Total operating expenses													0		0		0
Total operating profit (loss)													0		0		0
Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments													0		0		0
Investment Income, Interest and Dividend													0		0		0
Interest expense													0		0		0
Loss on extinguishment of debt															0
Gain (Loss) on Investments															0		0
Other non-operating income (expense)													0		0		0
Intercompany Income													0		0		0
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes													0		0		0
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)													0		0		0
Income (Loss) from Consolidated Subsidiaries, Net of Tax													(253,599)		202,427		(578,479)
Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations													(253,599)		202,427		(578,479)
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent													60,754		3,376		7,977
Net Income (Loss)													(192,845)		205,803		(570,502)
Comprehensive Income (Loss)													(188,634)		220,021		(567,749)
Parent Company | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Total operating revenues													0		0		0
Programming Expense and Direct Operating Costs													0		0		0
Selling, general and administrative													97,022		95,163		67,211
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization, Nonproduction													11,249		7,465		2,162
Goodwill and Intangible Asset Impairment													0		0
(Gain) loss on sales of real estate													0		0		0
Total operating expenses													108,271		102,628		69,373
Total operating profit (loss)													(108,271)		(102,628)		(69,373)
Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments													(2,549)		(240)		0
Investment Income, Interest and Dividend													1,149		510		961
Interest expense													(151,893)		(147,616)		(139,067)
Loss on extinguishment of debt															(37,040)
Gain (Loss) on Investments															791		0
Other non-operating income (expense)													4,005		7,880		(8,563)
Intercompany Income													103,327		90,993		75,808
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes													(154,232)		(187,350)		(140,234)
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)													13,610		(72,742)		(50,781)
Income (Loss) from Consolidated Subsidiaries, Net of Tax													254,882		(200,729)		579,624
Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations													87,040		(315,337)		490,171
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent													(72,794)		(4,581)		(13,508)
Net Income (Loss)													14,246		(319,918)		476,663
Comprehensive Income (Loss)													3,480		(344,393)		291,527
Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Total operating revenues													1,938,116		1,788,828		1,775,555
Programming Expense and Direct Operating Costs													902,843		903,844		717,791
Selling, general and administrative													491,753		446,370		447,405
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization, Nonproduction													201,504		210,465		244,820
Goodwill and Intangible Asset Impairment													3,400		385,000
(Gain) loss on sales of real estate													(213,086)		97		(21,690)
Total operating expenses													1,386,414		1,945,776		1,388,326
Total operating profit (loss)													551,702		(156,948)		387,229
Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments													150,705		147,199		236,713
Investment Income, Interest and Dividend													77		208		250
Interest expense													0		(5)		(1,440)
Loss on extinguishment of debt															0
Gain (Loss) on Investments															8,132		371,785
Other non-operating income (expense)													0		(2,189)		(3,537)
Intercompany Income													(102,979)		(90,637)		(76,285)
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes													599,505		(94,240)		914,715
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)													231,136		101,450		342,730
Income (Loss) from Consolidated Subsidiaries, Net of Tax													(1,283)		(1,698)		(1,145)
Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations													367,086		(197,388)		570,840
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent													(62,777)		420		(5,917)
Net Income (Loss)													304,309		(196,968)		564,923
Comprehensive Income (Loss)													301,913		(201,018)		562,558
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Total operating revenues													9,814		13,139		5,070
Programming Expense and Direct Operating Costs													3,490		8,338		1,072
Selling, general and administrative													3,445		1,532		4,515
Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization, Nonproduction													12,736		13,028		12,515
Goodwill and Intangible Asset Impairment													0		0
(Gain) loss on sales of real estate													0		0		0
Total operating expenses													19,671		22,898		18,102
Total operating profit (loss)													(9,857)		(9,759)		(13,032)
Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments													0		0		0
Investment Income, Interest and Dividend													0		2		53
Interest expense													(826)		(966)		(1,122)
Loss on extinguishment of debt															0
Gain (Loss) on Investments															3,250		0
Other non-operating income (expense)													0		0		28
Intercompany Income													(348)		(356)		477
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes													(11,031)		(7,829)		(13,596)
Income Tax Expense (Benefit)													102,456		(2,790)		(7,683)
Income (Loss) from Consolidated Subsidiaries, Net of Tax													0		0		0
Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations													(113,487)		(5,039)		(5,913)
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, Net of Tax, Attributable to Parent													2,023		(3,796)		11,492
Net Income (Loss)													(111,464)		(8,835)		5,579
Comprehensive Income (Loss)													$ (113,279)		$ (19,003)		$ 5,191

[1] (1)See Note 2 for the disclosures of operating revenues and operating profit included in discontinued operations for the historical periods.

[2] (2)Operating profit (loss) for each segment excludes income and loss on equity investments, interest and dividend income, interest expense, non-operating items, reorganization costs and income taxes.

[3] See Note 5 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements for information pertaining to non-operating items recorded in 2016 and 2015.