Condensed Consolidating Financial Information Balance Sheets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 346,221	$ 577,658	$ 324,636	$ 262,644
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		17,566	17,566
Accounts receivable, net		384,567	429,112
Broadcast rights		137,181	157,817
Income taxes receivable		7,897	9,056
Current assets of discontinued operations		0	62,605
Prepaid expenses		32,084	35,862
Other		11,538	6,624
Total current assets		937,054	1,296,300
Property, plant and equipment		686,537	711,068
Accumulated depreciation		(198,125)	(187,148)
Net properties		488,412	523,920
Investments in subsidiaries		0	0
Broadcast rights		148,832	153,457
Goodwill		3,228,047	3,227,930
Other intangible assets, net		1,777,360	1,819,134
Non-current assets of discontinued operations		0	608,153
Assets held for sale	[1]	16,356	17,176
Investments		1,473,510	1,674,883
Intercompany receivables		0	0
Intercompany loan receivable			0
Other assets		82,410	80,098
Total other assets		6,726,515	7,580,831
Total Assets (1)	[2]	8,151,981	9,401,051
Accounts payable		49,539	60,553
Debt due within one year		17,876	19,924
Income taxes payable		97,134	21,166
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		220,024	241,255
Deferred revenue		12,030	13,690
Interest payable		13,873	30,305
Current liabilities of discontinued operations		0	54,284
Other		86,845	109,676
Total current liabilities		497,321	550,853
Long-term debt		3,014,397	3,391,627
Intercompany loan payable			0
Deferred income taxes		861,490	984,248
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		292,264	314,840
Intercompany payables		0	0
Other		528,941	518,486
Non-current liabilities of discontinued operations		0	95,314
Total non-current liabilities		4,697,092	5,304,515
Total Liabilities (1)	[2]	5,194,413	5,855,368
Common stock		101	100
Treasury stock		(632,194)	(632,207)
Additional paid-in-capital		4,051,836	4,561,760
Retained (deficit) earnings		(393,953)	(308,105)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(74,139)	(81,782)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		2,951,651	3,539,766
Noncontrolling interest		5,917	5,917
Total shareholders’ equity		2,957,568	3,545,683
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		8,151,981	9,401,051
Eliminations
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		0	0	0	0
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		0	0
Accounts receivable, net		0	0
Broadcast rights		0	0
Income taxes receivable		0	0
Current assets of discontinued operations			0
Prepaid expenses		0	0
Other		0	0
Total current assets		0	0
Property, plant and equipment		0	0
Accumulated depreciation		0	0
Net properties		0	0
Investments in subsidiaries		(10,018,411)	(10,609,030)
Broadcast rights		0	0
Goodwill		0	0
Other intangible assets, net		0	0
Non-current assets of discontinued operations			0
Assets held for sale		0	0
Investments		0	0
Intercompany receivables		(8,446,348)	(8,232,637)
Intercompany loan receivable			(27,000)
Other assets		(120,637)	(49,279)
Total other assets		(8,566,985)	(8,308,916)
Total Assets (1)		(18,585,396)	(18,917,946)
Accounts payable		0	0
Debt due within one year		0	0
Income taxes payable		0	0
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		0	0
Deferred revenue		0	0
Interest payable		0	0
Current liabilities of discontinued operations			0
Other		0	0
Total current liabilities		0	0
Long-term debt		0	0
Intercompany loan payable			(27,000)
Deferred income taxes		(120,637)	(49,279)
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		0	0
Intercompany payables		(8,446,348)	(8,232,637)
Other		0	0
Non-current liabilities of discontinued operations			0
Total non-current liabilities		(8,566,985)	(8,308,916)
Total Liabilities (1)		(8,566,985)	(8,308,916)
Common stock		0	0
Treasury stock		0	0
Additional paid-in-capital		(9,237,731)	(9,775,997)
Retained (deficit) earnings		(788,531)	(854,127)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		7,851	21,094
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		(10,018,411)	(10,609,030)
Noncontrolling interest		0	0
Total shareholders’ equity		(10,018,411)	(10,609,030)
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		(18,585,396)	(18,917,946)
Parent (Tribune Media Company) | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		342,957	574,638	300,466	235,508
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		17,566	17,566
Accounts receivable, net		1,184	198
Broadcast rights		0	0
Income taxes receivable		0	0
Current assets of discontinued operations			0
Prepaid expenses		9,313	11,640
Other		9,716	4,894
Total current assets		380,736	608,936
Property, plant and equipment		55,762	55,529
Accumulated depreciation		(24,412)	(21,635)
Net properties		31,350	33,894
Investments in subsidiaries		9,962,162	10,502,544
Broadcast rights		0	0
Goodwill		0	0
Other intangible assets, net		0	0
Non-current assets of discontinued operations			0
Assets held for sale		0	0
Investments		13,453	19,079
Intercompany receivables		2,282,927	2,326,261
Intercompany loan receivable			27,000
Other assets		124,675	51,479
Total other assets		2,421,055	2,423,819
Total Assets (1)		12,795,303	13,569,193
Accounts payable		25,182	29,827
Debt due within one year		13,870	15,921
Income taxes payable		0	0
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		0	0
Deferred revenue		0	0
Interest payable		13,871	30,301
Current liabilities of discontinued operations			0
Other		37,274	38,867
Total current liabilities		90,197	114,916
Long-term debt		3,004,633	3,380,860
Intercompany loan payable			0
Deferred income taxes		0	0
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		0	0
Intercompany payables		6,282,611	6,065,424
Other		466,211	468,227
Non-current liabilities of discontinued operations			0
Total non-current liabilities		9,753,455	9,914,511
Total Liabilities (1)		9,843,652	10,029,427
Common stock		101	100
Treasury stock		(632,194)	(632,207)
Additional paid-in-capital		4,051,836	4,561,760
Retained (deficit) earnings		(393,953)	(308,105)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(74,139)	(81,782)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		2,951,651	3,539,766
Noncontrolling interest		0	0
Total shareholders’ equity		2,951,651	3,539,766
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		12,795,303	13,569,193
Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		1,381	720	10,161	13,054
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		0	0
Accounts receivable, net		382,795	428,254
Broadcast rights		135,533	155,266
Income taxes receivable		7,897	9,056
Current assets of discontinued operations			37,300
Prepaid expenses		22,544	24,074
Other		1,822	1,729
Total current assets		551,972	656,399
Property, plant and equipment		521,699	547,601
Accumulated depreciation		(167,368)	(159,472)
Net properties		354,331	388,129
Investments in subsidiaries		56,249	106,486
Broadcast rights		148,768	153,374
Goodwill		3,220,300	3,220,300
Other intangible assets, net		1,690,765	1,729,829
Non-current assets of discontinued operations			514,200
Assets held for sale		16,356	17,176
Investments		1,442,162	1,637,909
Intercompany receivables		5,810,551	5,547,542
Intercompany loan receivable			0
Other assets		75,549	75,191
Total other assets		12,404,451	12,895,521
Total Assets (1)		13,367,003	14,046,535
Accounts payable		22,826	29,703
Debt due within one year		0	0
Income taxes payable		97,137	21,130
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		218,178	238,497
Deferred revenue		11,923	13,593
Interest payable		0	0
Current liabilities of discontinued operations			44,763
Other		49,289	70,589
Total current liabilities		399,353	418,275
Long-term debt		0	0
Intercompany loan payable			27,000
Deferred income taxes		823,944	871,923
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		292,198	314,755
Intercompany payables		1,910,337	1,912,259
Other		62,710	50,239
Non-current liabilities of discontinued operations			86,517
Total non-current liabilities		3,089,189	3,262,693
Total Liabilities (1)		3,488,542	3,680,968
Common stock		0	0
Treasury stock		0	0
Additional paid-in-capital		9,037,427	9,486,179
Retained (deficit) earnings		847,858	888,088
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(6,824)	(8,700)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		9,878,461	10,365,567
Noncontrolling interest		0	0
Total shareholders’ equity		9,878,461	10,365,567
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		13,367,003	14,046,535
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		1,883	2,300	$ 14,009	$ 14,082
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		0	0
Accounts receivable, net		588	660
Broadcast rights		1,648	2,551
Income taxes receivable		0	0
Current assets of discontinued operations			25,305
Prepaid expenses		227	148
Other		0	1
Total current assets		4,346	30,965
Property, plant and equipment		109,076	107,938
Accumulated depreciation		(6,345)	(6,041)
Net properties		102,731	101,897
Investments in subsidiaries		0	0
Broadcast rights		64	83
Goodwill		7,747	7,630
Other intangible assets, net		86,595	89,305
Non-current assets of discontinued operations			93,953
Assets held for sale		0	0
Investments		17,895	17,895
Intercompany receivables		352,870	358,834
Intercompany loan receivable			0
Other assets		2,823	2,707
Total other assets		467,994	570,407
Total Assets (1)		575,071	703,269
Accounts payable		1,531	1,023
Debt due within one year		4,006	4,003
Income taxes payable		(3)	36
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		1,846	2,758
Deferred revenue		107	97
Interest payable		2	4
Current liabilities of discontinued operations			9,521
Other		282	220
Total current liabilities		7,771	17,662
Long-term debt		9,764	10,767
Intercompany loan payable			0
Deferred income taxes		158,183	161,604
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		66	85
Intercompany payables		253,400	254,954
Other		20	20
Non-current liabilities of discontinued operations			8,797
Total non-current liabilities		421,433	436,227
Total Liabilities (1)		429,204	453,889
Common stock		0	0
Treasury stock		0	0
Additional paid-in-capital		200,304	289,818
Retained (deficit) earnings		(59,327)	(33,961)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(1,027)	(12,394)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		139,950	243,463
Noncontrolling interest		5,917	5,917
Total shareholders’ equity		145,867	249,380
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		$ 575,071	$ 703,269

[1] (4)See Note 3 for information regarding real estate assets held for sale.

[2] (1) The Company’s consolidated total assets as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 include total assets of variable interest entities (“VIEs”) of $94 million and $97 million, respectively, which can only be used to settle the obligations of the VIEs. The Company’s consolidated total liabilities as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 include total liabilities of the VIEs of $2 million and $3 million, respectively, for which the creditors of the VIEs have no recourse to the Company (see Note 1).