Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements - Balance Sheets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 28, 2014
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 673,685	$ 577,658	$ 247,820	$ 1,455,183
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		17,566	17,566
Accounts receivable, net		420,095	429,112
Broadcast rights		129,174	157,817
Income taxes receivable		18,274	9,056
Current assets of discontinued operations		0	62,605
Prepaid expenses		20,158	35,862
Other		14,039	6,624
Total current assets		1,292,991	1,296,300
Property, plant and equipment		673,682	711,068
Accumulated depreciation		(233,387)	(187,148)
Net properties		440,295	523,920
Investments in subsidiaries		0	0
Broadcast rights		133,683	153,457
Goodwill		3,228,988	3,227,930	3,228,224
Other intangible assets, net		1,613,665	1,819,134
Non-current assets of discontinued operations		0	608,153
Assets held for sale	[1]	38,900	17,176
Investments		1,281,791	1,674,883
Intercompany receivables		0	0
Other		139,015	80,098
Intercompany loan receivable			0
Total other assets		6,436,042	7,580,831
Total Assets	[2]	8,169,328	9,401,051
Accounts payable		48,319	60,553
Debt due within one year		0	19,924
Income taxes payable		36,252	21,166
Contract payable for broadcast rights		253,244	241,255
Deferred revenue		11,942	13,690
Interest payable		30,525	30,305
Deferred spectrum auction proceeds		172,102	0
Current liabilities of discontinued operations		0	54,284
Other		101,883	109,676
Total current liabilities		654,267	550,853
Long-term debt		2,919,185	3,391,627
Intercompany loan payable			0
Deferred income taxes		508,174	984,248
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		300,420	314,840
Intercompany payables		0	0
Other		570,102	518,486
Non-current liabilities of discontinued operations		0	95,314
Total non-current liabilities		4,297,881	5,304,515
Total Liabilities	[2]	4,952,148	5,855,368
Common Stock		101	100
Treasury stock		(632,194)	(632,207)
Additional paid-in-capital		4,011,530	4,561,760
Retained (deficit) earnings		(114,240)	(308,105)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(48,061)	(81,782)	(71,016)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity (deficit)		3,217,136	3,539,766
Noncontrolling interests		44	5,917
Total shareholders’ equity		3,217,180	3,545,683	3,831,722	5,195,431
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		8,169,328	9,401,051
Consolidation, 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		(10,453,558)	(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		(9,458,712)	(8,232,637)
Other		(62,477)	(49,279)
Intercompany loan receivable			(27,000)
Total other assets		(9,521,189)	(8,308,916)
Total Assets		(19,974,747)	(18,917,946)
Accounts payable		0	0
Debt due within one year			0
Income taxes payable		0	0
Contract payable for broadcast rights		0	0
Deferred revenue		0	0
Interest payable		0	0
Deferred spectrum auction proceeds		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		(62,477)	(49,279)
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		0	0
Intercompany payables		(9,458,712)	(8,232,637)
Other		0	0
Non-current liabilities of discontinued operations			0
Total non-current liabilities		(9,521,189)	(8,308,916)
Total Liabilities		(9,521,189)	(8,308,916)
Common Stock		0	0
Treasury stock		0	0
Additional paid-in-capital		(9,243,007)	(9,775,997)
Retained (deficit) earnings		(1,212,507)	(854,127)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		1,956	21,094
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity (deficit)		(10,453,558)	(10,609,030)
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Total shareholders’ equity		(10,453,558)	(10,609,030)
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		(19,974,747)	(18,917,946)
Parent Company | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		670,302	574,638	235,508	1,433,388
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		17,566	17,566
Accounts receivable, net		143	198
Broadcast rights		0	0
Income taxes receivable		0	0
Current assets of discontinued operations			0
Prepaid expenses		8,647	11,640
Other		12,487	4,894
Total current assets		709,145	608,936
Property, plant and equipment		58,622	55,529
Accumulated depreciation		(29,505)	(21,635)
Net properties		29,117	33,894
Investments in subsidiaries		10,378,948	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		850	19,079
Intercompany receivables		2,520,570	2,326,261
Other		65,743	51,479
Intercompany loan receivable			27,000
Total other assets		2,587,163	2,423,819
Total Assets		13,704,373	13,569,193
Accounts payable		24,529	29,827
Debt due within one year			15,921
Income taxes payable		0	0
Contract payable for broadcast rights		0	0
Deferred revenue		0	0
Interest payable		30,525	30,301
Deferred spectrum auction proceeds		0
Current liabilities of discontinued operations			0
Other		44,817	38,867
Total current liabilities		99,871	114,916
Long-term debt		2,919,185	3,380,860
Intercompany loan payable			0
Deferred income taxes		0	0
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		0	0
Intercompany payables		7,044,972	6,065,424
Other		423,209	468,227
Non-current liabilities of discontinued operations			0
Total non-current liabilities		10,387,366	9,914,511
Total Liabilities		10,487,237	10,029,427
Common Stock		101	100
Treasury stock		(632,194)	(632,207)
Additional paid-in-capital		4,011,530	4,561,760
Retained (deficit) earnings		(114,240)	(308,105)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(48,061)	(81,782)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity (deficit)		3,217,136	3,539,766
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Total shareholders’ equity		3,217,136	3,539,766
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		13,704,373	13,569,193
Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		1,501	720	7,011	12,204
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		0	0
Accounts receivable, net		418,950	428,254
Broadcast rights		126,668	155,266
Income taxes receivable		18,274	9,056
Current assets of discontinued operations			37,300
Prepaid expenses		11,245	24,074
Other		1,552	1,729
Total current assets		578,190	656,399
Property, plant and equipment		557,394	547,601
Accumulated depreciation		(196,644)	(159,472)
Net properties		360,750	388,129
Investments in subsidiaries		74,610	106,486
Broadcast rights		133,567	153,374
Goodwill		3,220,300	3,220,300
Other intangible assets, net		1,534,761	1,729,829
Non-current assets of discontinued operations			514,200
Assets held for sale		38,900	17,176
Investments		1,258,851	1,637,909
Intercompany receivables		6,527,083	5,547,542
Other		135,373	75,191
Intercompany loan receivable			0
Total other assets		12,848,835	12,895,521
Total Assets		13,862,385	14,046,535
Accounts payable		22,487	29,703
Debt due within one year			0
Income taxes payable		36,252	21,130
Contract payable for broadcast rights		250,553	238,497
Deferred revenue		11,074	13,593
Interest payable		0	0
Deferred spectrum auction proceeds		172,102
Current liabilities of discontinued operations			44,763
Other		57,063	70,589
Total current liabilities		549,531	418,275
Long-term debt		0	0
Intercompany loan payable			27,000
Deferred income taxes		485,608	871,923
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		300,269	314,755
Intercompany payables		2,148,695	1,912,259
Other		121,870	50,239
Non-current liabilities of discontinued operations			86,517
Total non-current liabilities		3,056,442	3,262,693
Total Liabilities		3,605,973	3,680,968
Common Stock		0	0
Treasury stock		0	0
Additional paid-in-capital		9,040,065	9,486,179
Retained (deficit) earnings		1,219,023	888,088
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(2,676)	(8,700)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity (deficit)		10,256,412	10,365,567
Noncontrolling interests		0
Total shareholders’ equity		10,256,412	10,365,567
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		13,862,385	14,046,535
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		1,882	2,300	$ 5,301	$ 9,591
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		0	0
Accounts receivable, net		1,002	660
Broadcast rights		2,506	2,551
Income taxes receivable		0	0
Current assets of discontinued operations			25,305
Prepaid expenses		266	148
Other		0	1
Total current assets		5,656	30,965
Property, plant and equipment		57,666	107,938
Accumulated depreciation		(7,238)	(6,041)
Net properties		50,428	101,897
Investments in subsidiaries		0	0
Broadcast rights		116	83
Goodwill		8,688	7,630
Other intangible assets, net		78,904	89,305
Non-current assets of discontinued operations			93,953
Assets held for sale		0	0
Investments		22,090	17,895
Intercompany receivables		411,059	358,834
Other		376	2,707
Intercompany loan receivable			0
Total other assets		521,233	570,407
Total Assets		577,317	703,269
Accounts payable		1,303	1,023
Debt due within one year			4,003
Income taxes payable		0	36
Contract payable for broadcast rights		2,691	2,758
Deferred revenue		868	97
Interest payable		0	4
Deferred spectrum auction proceeds		0
Current liabilities of discontinued operations			9,521
Other		3	220
Total current liabilities		4,865	17,662
Long-term debt		0	10,767
Intercompany loan payable			0
Deferred income taxes		85,043	161,604
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		151	85
Intercompany payables		265,045	254,954
Other		25,023	20
Non-current liabilities of discontinued operations			8,797
Total non-current liabilities		375,262	436,227
Total Liabilities		380,127	453,889
Common Stock		0	0
Treasury stock		0	0
Additional paid-in-capital		202,942	289,818
Retained (deficit) earnings		(6,516)	(33,961)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		720	(12,394)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity (deficit)		197,146	243,463
Noncontrolling interests		44	5,917
Total shareholders’ equity		197,190	249,380
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		$ 577,317	$ 703,269

[1] (4)See Note 2 for information regarding discontinued operations and Note 6 for information regarding assets held for sale.

[2] The Company’s consolidated total assets as of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 include total assets of variable interest entities (“VIEs”) of $81 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 December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 include total liabilities of the VIEs of $29 million and $3 million, respectively, for which the creditors of the VIEs have no recourse to the Company (see Note 1).