CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - Statement of Cash Flow (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2014
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	$ 178,016	$ 179,984
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment	(47,062)	(26,587)
Purchase of alarm monitoring contracts	(16,673)	(7,835)
Distributions from equity and cost method investees	8,168	1,522
Decrease in restricted cash		(683)
Investments in equity and cost method investees	(37,809)	(6,167)
Payments for acquisition of assets in other operating divisions	0	(8,273)
Proceeds from termination of life insurance policies	0	17,042
Other, net	3,483	1,197
Net cash flows used in investing activities	(89,893)	(31,306)
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable, commercial bank financing and capital leases	364,853	102,724
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing and capital leases	(360,480)	(21,114)
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B common stock	(31,464)	(29,284)
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	(7,803)	(82,371)
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	0	0
Other, net	(6,332)	(3,191)
Net cash flows used in financing activities	(41,226)	(33,236)
NET INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS	46,897	115,442
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, beginning of period	17,682	280,104
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, end of period	64,579	395,546
Reportable legal entities | Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	(142)	(2,354)
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment	0	0
Purchase of alarm monitoring contracts	0	0
Distributions from equity and cost method investees	3,486
Decrease in restricted cash		0
Investments in equity and cost method investees	0	0
Payments for acquisition of assets in other operating divisions		0
Proceeds from termination of life insurance policies		0
Other, net	0	1,000
Net cash flows used in investing activities	3,486	1,000
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable, commercial bank financing and capital leases	0	0
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing and capital leases	(312)	(268)
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B common stock	(31,464)	(29,284)
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	(7,803)	(82,371)
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	37,036	111,767
Other, net	(801)	1,510
Net cash flows used in financing activities	(3,344)	1,354
NET INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS	0	0
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, beginning of period	0	0
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, end of period	0	0
Reportable legal entities | Sinclair Television Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	(70,337)	(73,198)
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment	(5,852)	(2,935)
Purchase of alarm monitoring contracts	0	0
Distributions from equity and cost method investees	500
Decrease in restricted cash		(900)
Investments in equity and cost method investees	(4,401)	0
Payments for acquisition of assets in other operating divisions		0
Proceeds from termination of life insurance policies		17,042
Other, net	(1,461)	0
Net cash flows used in investing activities	(11,214)	13,207
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable, commercial bank financing and capital leases	349,562	91,796
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing and capital leases	(357,328)	(17,056)
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B common stock	0	0
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	0	0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	138,814	130,501
Other, net	(3,491)	(235)
Net cash flows used in financing activities	127,557	205,006
NET INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS	46,006	145,015
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, beginning of period	3,394	237,974
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, end of period	49,400	382,989
Reportable legal entities | Guarantor Subsidiaries and KDSM, LLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	265,762	232,107
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment	(40,875)	(21,993)
Purchase of alarm monitoring contracts	0	0
Distributions from equity and cost method investees	0
Decrease in restricted cash		217
Investments in equity and cost method investees	(33)	0
Payments for acquisition of assets in other operating divisions		0
Proceeds from termination of life insurance policies		0
Other, net	4,788	264
Net cash flows used in investing activities	(36,120)	(21,512)
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable, commercial bank financing and capital leases	0	0
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing and capital leases	(611)	(482)
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B common stock	0	0
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	0	0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	(230,262)	(238,219)
Other, net	550	0
Net cash flows used in financing activities	(230,323)	(238,701)
NET INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS	(681)	(28,106)
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, beginning of period	1,749	28,594
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, end of period	1,068	488
Reportable legal entities | Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	(24,664)	19,126
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment	(1,097)	(1,659)
Purchase of alarm monitoring contracts	(16,673)	(7,835)
Distributions from equity and cost method investees	4,182
Decrease in restricted cash		0
Investments in equity and cost method investees	(33,375)	(6,167)
Payments for acquisition of assets in other operating divisions		(8,273)
Proceeds from termination of life insurance policies		0
Other, net	156	(67)
Net cash flows used in investing activities	(46,807)	(24,001)
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable, commercial bank financing and capital leases	15,291	10,928
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing and capital leases	(2,229)	(3,308)
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B common stock	0	0
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	0	0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	62,571	254
Other, net	(2,590)	(4,466)
Net cash flows used in financing activities	73,043	3,408
NET INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS	1,572	(1,467)
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, beginning of period	12,539	13,536
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, end of period	14,111	12,069
Eliminations
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	7,397	4,303
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment	762	0
Purchase of alarm monitoring contracts	0	0
Distributions from equity and cost method investees	0
Decrease in restricted cash		0
Investments in equity and cost method investees	0	0
Payments for acquisition of assets in other operating divisions		0
Proceeds from termination of life insurance policies		0
Other, net	0	0
Net cash flows used in investing activities	762	0
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable, commercial bank financing and capital leases	0	0
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing and capital leases	0	0
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B common stock	0	0
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	0	0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	(8,159)	(4,303)
Other, net	0	0
Net cash flows used in financing activities	(8,159)	(4,303)
NET INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS	0	0
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, beginning of period	0	0
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, end of period	$ 0	$ 0