XML 29 R57.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v2.4.1.9
Long-Term Debt - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)
 12 Months Ended 0 Months Ended 3 Months Ended 0 Months Ended
Feb. 28, 2015
Feb. 28, 2014
Feb. 28, 2013
Jun. 10, 2014
Nov. 07, 2014
Aug. 31, 2014
Feb. 13, 2015
May 30, 2012
Dec. 28, 2012
Jun. 16, 2014
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Maximum borrowing capacity under credit facility $ 12,000,000us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity                  
Long-term debt 254,150,000us-gaap_LongTermDebt 114,926,000us-gaap_LongTermDebt                
Original issue discount of issuance of debt 6,382,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentUnamortizedDiscount 1,475,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentUnamortizedDiscount                
Loss on debt extinguishment 1,455,000us-gaap_GainsLossesOnExtinguishmentOfDebt 653,000us-gaap_GainsLossesOnExtinguishmentOfDebt 4,508,000us-gaap_GainsLossesOnExtinguishmentOfDebt              
Debt, Face Amount               82,200,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount    
Interest rate during period               4.10%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateEffectivePercentage    
2014 Credit Agreement                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Maximum borrowing capacity under credit facility       20,000,000.0us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		            
Long-term debt 193,000,000us-gaap_LongTermDebt
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		     185,000,000.0us-gaap_LongTermDebt
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		            
Proceeds from Issuance of Debt       109,000,000us-gaap_ProceedsFromIssuanceOfDebt
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		            
Payments into escrow to acquire businesses       76,000,000emms_PaymentsIntoEscrowtoAcquireBusinesses
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		            
Debt Instrument Periodic Payment of Principal 1.00%emms_DebtInstrumentPeriodicPaymentofPrincipal
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		                  
Commitment fee percentage 50.00%us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityUnusedCapacityCommitmentFeePercentage
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		                  
Future uncommitted increase, principal amount       20,000,000.0emms_LineofCreditFacilityPossibleUncommittedIncreasePrincipalAmount
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		            
Debt issuance transaction fees       1,000,000us-gaap_UnamortizedDebtIssuanceExpense
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		            
Original issue discount of issuance of debt       6,100,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentUnamortizedDiscount
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		            
Debt, Face Amount       185,000,000.0us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		            
2014 Credit Agreement | Term Loan                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Maximum borrowing capacity under credit facility       185,000,000.0us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= emms_TermLoanMember
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		            
Proceeds from Issuance of Debt       109,000,000us-gaap_ProceedsFromIssuanceOfDebt
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= emms_TermLoanMember
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		            
Debt, Face Amount       185,000,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= emms_TermLoanMember
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		            
2014 Credit Agreement | Revolver                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Maximum borrowing capacity under credit facility       20,000,000.0us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_RevolvingCreditFacilityMember
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		            
Amount outstanding under line of credit       13,000,000us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityFairValueOfAmountOutstanding
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_RevolvingCreditFacilityMember
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		            
2014 Credit Agreement | Letter of Credit                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Maximum borrowing capacity under credit facility       5,000,000.0us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_LetterOfCreditMember
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		            
First Amendment to 2014 Credit Agreement                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Debt issuance transaction fees         1,000,000us-gaap_UnamortizedDebtIssuanceExpense
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_FirstAmendmentto2014CreditAgreementMember		          
Leverage ratio 5.00emms_DebtInstrumentCovenantComplianceLeverageRatio
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_FirstAmendmentto2014CreditAgreementMember		       6.00emms_DebtInstrumentCovenantComplianceLeverageRatio
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_FirstAmendmentto2014CreditAgreementMember		          
Prepayment fee percentage         1.00%emms_LineofCreditFacilityPrepaymentFeePercentage
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_FirstAmendmentto2014CreditAgreementMember		          
Prepayment fee percentage increase         0.25%emms_LineofCreditFacilityPrepaymentFeePercentageIncrease
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_FirstAmendmentto2014CreditAgreementMember		          
Period for applicable margin         6 months          
2012 Credit Agreement                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Loss on debt extinguishment           1,500,000us-gaap_GainsLossesOnExtinguishmentOfDebt
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandTwelveCreditAgreementMember		        
Debt, Face Amount                 100,000,000us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandTwelveCreditAgreementMember		  
2012 Credit Agreement | Revolver                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Maximum borrowing capacity under credit facility                 20,000,000us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_RevolvingCreditFacilityMember
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandTwelveCreditAgreementMember		  
2012 Credit Agreement | Letter of Credit                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Maximum borrowing capacity under credit facility                 5,000,000us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity
/ us-gaap_CreditFacilityAxis
= us-gaap_LetterOfCreditMember
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandTwelveCreditAgreementMember		  
Digonex Nonrecourse Debt                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Interest rate (as a percent)                   5.00%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentInterestRateStatedPercentage
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_DigonexNonrecourseDebtMember
Debt, Face Amount                   6,200,000.0us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFaceAmount
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_DigonexNonrecourseDebtMember
WBLS-FM and WLIB-AM                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Cash paid       55,000,000us-gaap_PaymentsToAcquireBusinessesGross
/ us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis
= emms_WBLSFMandWLIBAMMember		            
WBLS-FM and WLIB-AM | 2014 Credit Agreement                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Cash paid       55,000,000.0us-gaap_PaymentsToAcquireBusinessesGross
/ us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis
= emms_WBLSFMandWLIBAMMember
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		     76,000,000.0us-gaap_PaymentsToAcquireBusinessesGross
/ us-gaap_BusinessAcquisitionAxis
= emms_WBLSFMandWLIBAMMember
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember		      
Base Rate | 2014 Credit Agreement                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Variable rate, floor (as a percent) 2.00%emms_DebtInstrumentVariableRateFloor
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember
/ us-gaap_VariableRateAxis
= us-gaap_BaseRateMember		                  
Basis spread on variable rate (as a percent) 3.75%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentBasisSpreadOnVariableRate1
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember
/ us-gaap_VariableRateAxis
= us-gaap_BaseRateMember		                  
London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) | 2014 Credit Agreement                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Variable rate, floor (as a percent) 1.00%emms_DebtInstrumentVariableRateFloor
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember
/ us-gaap_VariableRateAxis
= us-gaap_LondonInterbankOfferedRateLIBORMember		                  
Basis spread on variable rate (as a percent) 4.75%us-gaap_DebtInstrumentBasisSpreadOnVariableRate1
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandFourteenCreditAgreementMember
/ us-gaap_VariableRateAxis
= us-gaap_LondonInterbankOfferedRateLIBORMember		                  
Term Loan | 2012 Credit Agreement                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Long-term debt                 80,000,000us-gaap_LongTermDebt
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_TwoThousandTwelveCreditAgreementMember
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= emms_TermLoanMember		  
Secured Debt | Digonex Nonrecourse Debt                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Long-term debt                   1,500,000us-gaap_LongTermDebt
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_DigonexNonrecourseDebtMember
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= us-gaap_SecuredDebtMember
Unsecured Debt | Digonex Nonrecourse Debt                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Long-term debt                   4,700,000us-gaap_LongTermDebt
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_DigonexNonrecourseDebtMember
/ us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis
= us-gaap_UnsecuredDebtMember
Severance | First Amendment to 2014 Credit Agreement                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Restructuring charges excluded from EBITDA         5,000,000emms_DebtInstrumentCovenantComplianceRestructuringChargesExcludedFromEarningsBeforeInterestTaxesDepreciationandAmortization
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_FirstAmendmentto2014CreditAgreementMember
/ us-gaap_RestructuringCostAndReserveAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeSeveranceMember		          
Contract Termination | First Amendment to 2014 Credit Agreement                    
Debt Instrument [Line Items]                    
Restructuring charges excluded from EBITDA         $ 2,500,000.0emms_DebtInstrumentCovenantComplianceRestructuringChargesExcludedFromEarningsBeforeInterestTaxesDepreciationandAmortization
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emms_FirstAmendmentto2014CreditAgreementMember
/ us-gaap_RestructuringCostAndReserveAxis
= us-gaap_ContractTerminationMember