Condensed Consolidating Financial Information Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
		Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	[1]	$ 489,358	$ 469,517	$ 932,993	$ 909,427
Programming and direct operating expenses		210,452	254,024	412,581	494,077
Selling, general and administrative		125,878	147,249	257,834	312,843
Depreciation and amortization		54,962	55,591	110,424	110,821
Gain on sale of real estate, net				0	(300)
Gain on sales of spectrum		0	0	(133,197)	0
Total operating expenses		391,292	456,864	647,642	917,741
Operating Profit (Loss)	[1],[2]	98,066	12,653	285,351	(8,314)
Income on equity investments, net		52,568	40,761	91,705	77,798
Interest and dividend income		2,336	548	4,234	1,053
Interest expense		(41,990)	(40,185)	(82,621)	(78,943)
Pension and other postretirement periodic benefit credit, net		6,985	5,673	14,069	11,408
Loss on extinguishment and modification of debt		0	0	0	(19,052)
Gain on investment transactions		0	0	3,888	4,950
Write-down of investment		0	(58,800)	0	(180,800)
Other non-operating items		(711)	(378)	(1,487)	(654)
Intercompany income (charges)		0	0	0	0
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes		117,254	(39,728)	315,139	(192,554)
Income tax (benefit) expense		32,816	(9,905)	89,518	(61,519)
Equity (deficit) in earnings of consolidated subsidiaries, net of taxes		0	0	0	0
Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations		84,438	(29,823)	225,621	(131,035)
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, net of taxes		0	(579)	0	15,039
Net Income (Loss)		84,438	(30,402)	225,621	(115,996)
Net loss from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests		4	0	10	0
Net Income (Loss) attributable to Tribune Media Company		84,442	(30,402)	225,631	(115,996)
Comprehensive Income (Loss)		83,011	(28,135)	232,692	(106,086)
Eliminations
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Operating Revenues		0	0	0	0
Programming and direct operating expenses		0	0	0	0
Selling, general and administrative		0	0	0	0
Depreciation and amortization		0	0	0	0
Gain on sales of spectrum				0
Total operating expenses		0	0	0	0
Operating Profit (Loss)		0	0	0	0
Income on equity investments, net		0	0	0	0
Interest and dividend income		0	0	0	0
Interest expense		0	0	0	0
Pension and other postretirement periodic benefit credit, net		0	0	0	0
Loss on extinguishment and modification of debt					0
Gain on investment transactions				0	0
Write-down of investment			0		0
Other non-operating items		0	0	0	0
Intercompany income (charges)		0	0	0	0
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes		0	0	0	0
Income tax (benefit) expense		0	0	0	0
Equity (deficit) in earnings of consolidated subsidiaries, net of taxes		(117,231)	(4,618)	(295,807)	59,881
Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations		(117,231)	(4,618)	(295,807)	59,881
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, net of taxes		0	0	0	1,097
Net Income (Loss)		(117,231)		(295,807)
Net loss from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests		0		0
Net Income (Loss) attributable to Tribune Media Company		(117,231)	(4,618)	(295,807)	60,978
Comprehensive Income (Loss)		(116,529)	(9,670)	(295,540)	42,683
Parent (Tribune Media Company) | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Operating Revenues		0	0	0	0
Programming and direct operating expenses		0	0	0	0
Selling, general and administrative		19,570	35,531	42,434	74,233
Depreciation and amortization		2,069	2,938	4,473	5,886
Gain on sales of spectrum				0
Total operating expenses		21,639	38,469	46,907	80,119
Operating Profit (Loss)		(21,639)	(38,469)	(46,907)	(80,119)
Income on equity investments, net		0	(570)	0	(1,039)
Interest and dividend income		2,336	534	4,234	1,016
Interest expense		(41,990)	(40,024)	(82,621)	(78,616)
Pension and other postretirement periodic benefit credit, net		6,985	5,673	14,069	11,408
Loss on extinguishment and modification of debt					(19,052)
Gain on investment transactions				0	4,950
Write-down of investment			0		0
Other non-operating items		(711)	(378)	(1,487)	(654)
Intercompany income (charges)		12,412	19,468	24,825	47,686
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes		(42,607)	(53,766)	(87,887)	(114,420)
Income tax (benefit) expense		(9,620)	(16,877)	(17,175)	(40,592)
Equity (deficit) in earnings of consolidated subsidiaries, net of taxes		117,429	7,066	296,343	(57,207)
Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations		84,442	(29,823)	225,631	(131,035)
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, net of taxes		0	(579)	0	15,039
Net Income (Loss)		84,442		225,631
Net loss from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests		0		0
Net Income (Loss) attributable to Tribune Media Company		84,442	(30,402)	225,631	(115,996)
Comprehensive Income (Loss)		83,011	(28,135)	232,692	(106,086)
Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Operating Revenues		486,549	467,198	927,440	904,685
Programming and direct operating expenses		209,872	249,597	411,215	488,829
Selling, general and administrative		105,564	110,804	213,936	236,893
Depreciation and amortization		49,949	49,527	99,881	98,689
Gain on sales of spectrum				(133,197)
Total operating expenses		365,385	409,928	591,835	824,411
Operating Profit (Loss)		121,164	57,270	335,605	80,274
Income on equity investments, net		52,568	41,331	91,705	78,837
Interest and dividend income		0	14	0	37
Interest expense		0	0	0	0
Pension and other postretirement periodic benefit credit, net		0	0	0	0
Loss on extinguishment and modification of debt					0
Gain on investment transactions				3,888	0
Write-down of investment			(58,800)		(180,800)
Other non-operating items		0	0	0	0
Intercompany income (charges)		(12,377)	(19,426)	(24,755)	(47,577)
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes		161,355	20,389	406,443	(69,229)
Income tax (benefit) expense		42,816	9,468	107,608	(17,473)
Equity (deficit) in earnings of consolidated subsidiaries, net of taxes		(198)	(2,448)	(536)	(2,674)
Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations		118,341	8,473	298,299	(54,430)
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, net of taxes		0	0	0	(1,904)
Net Income (Loss)		118,341		298,299
Net loss from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests		0		0
Net Income (Loss) attributable to Tribune Media Company		118,341	8,473	298,299	(56,334)
Comprehensive Income (Loss)		118,534	12,521	298,467	(50,410)
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Operating Revenues		2,809	2,319	5,553	4,742
Programming and direct operating expenses		580	4,427	1,366	5,248
Selling, general and administrative		744	914	1,464	1,717
Depreciation and amortization		2,944	3,126	6,070	6,246
Gain on sales of spectrum				0
Total operating expenses		4,268	8,467	8,900	13,211
Operating Profit (Loss)		(1,459)	(6,148)	(3,347)	(8,469)
Income on equity investments, net		0	0	0	0
Interest and dividend income		0	0	0	0
Interest expense		0	(161)	0	(327)
Pension and other postretirement periodic benefit credit, net		0	0	0	0
Loss on extinguishment and modification of debt					0
Gain on investment transactions				0	0
Write-down of investment			0		0
Other non-operating items		0	0	0	0
Intercompany income (charges)		(35)	(42)	(70)	(109)
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes		(1,494)	(6,351)	(3,417)	(8,905)
Income tax (benefit) expense		(380)	(2,496)	(915)	(3,454)
Equity (deficit) in earnings of consolidated subsidiaries, net of taxes		0	0	0	0
Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations		(1,114)	(3,855)	(2,502)	(5,451)
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, net of taxes		0	0	0	807
Net Income (Loss)		(1,114)		(2,502)
Net loss from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests		4		10
Net Income (Loss) attributable to Tribune Media Company		(1,110)	(3,855)	(2,492)	(4,644)
Comprehensive Income (Loss)		$ (2,005)	$ (2,851)	$ (2,927)	$ 7,727

[1] (1)See Note 2 for the disclosures of operating revenues and operating loss 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.