Condensed Consolidating Financial Information Balance Sheets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Jun. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 1,314,108		$ 1,063,041	$ 828,850
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		16,607		16,607	16,607
Accounts receivable, net		421,309		416,938
Broadcast rights		72,598		98,269
Income taxes receivable		17,607		23,922
Prepaid expenses		27,009		19,444
Other		8,865		7,509
Total current assets		1,878,103		1,645,730
Property, plant and equipment		646,743		687,377
Accumulated depreciation		(285,262)		(266,078)
Net properties		361,481		421,299
Investments in subsidiaries		0		0
Broadcast rights		70,027		95,876
Operating lease right-of-use assets		196,408		0
Goodwill		3,228,547		3,228,601
Other intangible assets, net		1,370,614		1,442,456
Assets held for sale	[1]	62,789		0
Investments		1,154,700		1,264,437
Intercompany receivables		0		0
Other		140,111		152,992
Total other assets		6,223,196		6,184,362
Total Assets (1)	[2]	8,462,780		8,251,391
Accounts payable		42,502		44,897
Income taxes payable		55,509		9,973
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		212,046		232,687
Deferred revenue		13,867		12,508
Interest payable		30,652		30,086
Operating lease liabilities		19,904		0
Other		111,236		121,642
Total current liabilities		485,716		451,793
Long-term debt		2,929,522		2,926,083
Deferred income taxes		516,216		573,924
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		171,143		233,275
Operating lease liabilities		192,378		0
Intercompany payables		0		0
Other obligations		501,288		543,219
Total non-current liabilities		4,310,547		4,276,501
Total Liabilities (1)	[2]	4,796,263		4,728,294
Common stock		102		102
Treasury stock		(632,194)		(632,194)
Additional paid-in-capital		4,045,530		4,031,233
Retained earnings (deficit)		368,621		223,734
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(120,965)		(104,967)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		3,661,094		3,517,908
Noncontrolling interests		5,423		5,189
Total shareholders’ equity		3,666,517	$ 3,625,765	3,523,097	3,411,382	$ 3,345,135	$ 3,217,180
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		8,462,780		8,251,391
Eliminations
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		0		0	0
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		0		0	0
Accounts receivable, net		0		0
Broadcast rights		0		0
Income taxes receivable		0		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		(11,206,361)		(10,959,195)
Broadcast rights		0		0
Operating lease right-of-use assets		0
Goodwill		0		0
Other intangible assets, net		0		0
Assets held for sale		0
Investments		0		0
Intercompany receivables		(11,797,279)		(11,006,702)
Other		(68,870)		(61,210)
Total other assets		(11,866,149)		(11,067,912)
Total Assets (1)		(23,072,510)		(22,027,107)
Accounts payable		0		0
Income taxes payable		0		0
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		0		0
Deferred revenue		0		0
Interest payable		0		0
Operating lease liabilities		0
Other		0		0
Total current liabilities		0		0
Long-term debt		0		0
Deferred income taxes		(68,870)		(61,210)
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		0		0
Operating lease liabilities		0
Intercompany payables		(11,797,279)		(11,006,702)
Other obligations		0		0
Total non-current liabilities		(11,866,149)		(11,067,912)
Total Liabilities (1)		(11,866,149)		(11,067,912)
Common stock		0		0
Treasury stock		0		0
Additional paid-in-capital		(9,221,800)		(9,221,800)
Retained earnings (deficit)		(1,985,979)		(1,738,688)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		1,418		1,293
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		(11,206,361)		(10,959,195)
Noncontrolling interests		0		0
Total shareholders’ equity		(11,206,361)		(10,959,195)
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		(23,072,510)		(22,027,107)
Parent (Tribune Media Company) | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		1,309,266		1,058,961	824,532
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		16,607		16,607	16,607
Accounts receivable, net		60		323
Broadcast rights		0		0
Income taxes receivable		0		0
Prepaid expenses		10,608		6,992
Other		7,035		6,201
Total current assets		1,343,576		1,089,084
Property, plant and equipment		45,237		45,684
Accumulated depreciation		(34,768)		(31,920)
Net properties		10,469		13,764
Investments in subsidiaries		11,147,221		10,899,707
Broadcast rights		0		0
Operating lease right-of-use assets		7,796
Goodwill		0		0
Other intangible assets, net		0		0
Assets held for sale		0
Investments		850		850
Intercompany receivables		3,203,083		2,987,672
Other		65,491		69,856
Total other assets		3,277,220		3,058,378
Total Assets (1)		15,778,486		15,060,933
Accounts payable		21,464		23,051
Income taxes payable		0		0
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		0		0
Deferred revenue		0		0
Interest payable		30,652		30,086
Operating lease liabilities		1,664
Other		54,004		44,702
Total current liabilities		107,784		97,839
Long-term debt		2,929,522		2,926,083
Deferred income taxes		0		0
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		0		0
Operating lease liabilities		8,227
Intercompany payables		8,681,608		8,121,544
Other obligations		390,251		397,559
Total non-current liabilities		12,009,608		11,445,186
Total Liabilities (1)		12,117,392		11,543,025
Common stock		102		102
Treasury stock		(632,194)		(632,194)
Additional paid-in-capital		4,045,530		4,031,233
Retained earnings (deficit)		368,621		223,734
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(120,965)		(104,967)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		3,661,094		3,517,908
Noncontrolling interests		0		0
Total shareholders’ equity		3,661,094		3,517,908
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		15,778,486		15,060,933
Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		1,730		904	1,430
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		0		0	0
Accounts receivable, net		420,860		415,836
Broadcast rights		71,923		96,308
Income taxes receivable		17,607		23,922
Prepaid expenses		16,121		12,139
Other		1,233		1,305
Total current assets		529,474		550,414
Property, plant and equipment		571,828		612,282
Accumulated depreciation		(248,736)		(232,469)
Net properties		323,092		379,813
Investments in subsidiaries		59,140		59,488
Broadcast rights		69,723		95,482
Operating lease right-of-use assets		188,474
Goodwill		3,220,300		3,220,300
Other intangible assets, net		1,309,032		1,375,180
Assets held for sale		62,789
Investments		1,145,684		1,233,522
Intercompany receivables		7,113,348		6,571,444
Other		135,641		141,117
Total other assets		13,244,991		12,637,045
Total Assets (1)		14,156,697		13,626,760
Accounts payable		19,609		20,357
Income taxes payable		55,509		9,973
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		211,176		230,501
Deferred revenue		12,973		11,639
Interest payable		0		0
Operating lease liabilities		18,204
Other		56,229		76,694
Total current liabilities		373,700		349,164
Long-term debt		0		0
Deferred income taxes		585,086		570,933
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		170,803		232,850
Operating lease liabilities		184,049
Intercompany payables		2,393,930		2,176,908
Other obligations		87,306		121,497
Total non-current liabilities		3,421,174		3,102,188
Total Liabilities (1)		3,794,874		3,451,352
Common stock		0		0
Treasury stock		0		0
Additional paid-in-capital		8,307,898		8,307,898
Retained earnings (deficit)		2,055,177		1,868,740
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(1,252)		(1,230)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		10,361,823		10,175,408
Noncontrolling interests		0		0
Total shareholders’ equity		10,361,823		10,175,408
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		14,156,697		13,626,760
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		3,112		3,176	2,888
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		0		0	$ 0
Accounts receivable, net		389		779
Broadcast rights		675		1,961
Income taxes receivable		0		0
Prepaid expenses		280		313
Other		597		3
Total current assets		5,053		6,232
Property, plant and equipment		29,678		29,411
Accumulated depreciation		(1,758)		(1,689)
Net properties		27,920		27,722
Investments in subsidiaries		0		0
Broadcast rights		304		394
Operating lease right-of-use assets		138
Goodwill		8,247		8,301
Other intangible assets, net		61,582		67,276
Assets held for sale		0
Investments		8,166		30,065
Intercompany receivables		1,480,848		1,447,586
Other		7,849		3,229
Total other assets		1,567,134		1,556,851
Total Assets (1)		1,600,107		1,590,805
Accounts payable		1,429		1,489
Income taxes payable		0		0
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		870		2,186
Deferred revenue		894		869
Interest payable		0		0
Operating lease liabilities		36
Other		1,003		246
Total current liabilities		4,232		4,790
Long-term debt		0		0
Deferred income taxes		0		64,201
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		340		425
Operating lease liabilities		102
Intercompany payables		721,741		708,250
Other obligations		23,731		24,163
Total non-current liabilities		745,914		797,039
Total Liabilities (1)		750,146		801,829
Common stock		0		0
Treasury stock		0		0
Additional paid-in-capital		913,902		913,902
Retained earnings (deficit)		(69,198)		(130,052)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(166)		(63)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		844,538		783,787
Noncontrolling interests		5,423		5,189
Total shareholders’ equity		849,961		788,976
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		$ 1,600,107		$ 1,590,805

[1] (2) See Note 2 for information regarding assets held for sale.

[2] (1) The Company’s consolidated total assets as of June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 include total assets of variable interest entities (“VIEs”) of $66 million and $73 million, respectively, which can only be used to settle the obligations of the VIEs. The Company’s consolidated total liabilities as of June 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 include total liabilities of the VIEs of $26 million and $28 million, respectively, for which the creditors of the VIEs have no recourse to the Company (see Note 1).