CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - Balance Sheet (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash		$ 119,389	$ 17,682	$ 99,350	$ 280,104
Accounts and other receivables		387,110	383,503
Other current assets		165,750	124,980
Total current assets		672,249	526,165
Property and equipment, net		746,662	752,538
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Goodwill		1,951,428	1,964,553
Broadcast licenses		133,174	135,075
Definite-lived intangible assets		1,763,693	1,818,263
Other long-term assets		213,241	213,734
Total assets	[1]	5,480,447	5,410,328
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		272,470	260,848
Current portion of long-term debt		67,222	113,116
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		3,036	2,625
Other current liabilities		149,192	117,417
Total current liabilities		491,920	494,006
Long-term debt		3,804,877	3,754,822
Affiliate long-term debt		15,870	16,309
Other liabilities		716,519	739,848
Total liabilities		5,029,186	5,004,985
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group equity (deficit)		476,779	427,882
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries		(25,518)	(22,539)
Total liabilities and equity		5,480,447	5,410,328
Reportable legal entities | Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash		0	0	0	0
Accounts and other receivables		0	0
Other current assets		3,389	5,741
Total current assets		3,389	5,741
Property and equipment, net		3,168	3,949
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		445,261	395,225
Goodwill		0	0
Broadcast licenses		0	0
Definite-lived intangible assets		0	0
Other long-term assets		57,036	65,988
Total assets		508,854	470,903
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		165	541
Current portion of long-term debt		55	529
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		1,603	1,464
Other current liabilities		1,208	1,208
Total current liabilities		3,031	3,742
Long-term debt		0	0
Affiliate long-term debt		2,284	3,508
Other liabilities		26,760	35,771
Total liabilities		32,075	43,021
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group equity (deficit)		476,779	427,882
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Total liabilities and equity		508,854	470,903
Reportable legal entities | Sinclair Television Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash		97,996	3,394	84,226	237,974
Accounts and other receivables		0	164
Other current assets		4,427	12,996
Total current assets		102,423	16,554
Property and equipment, net		21,815	17,554
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		3,448,508	3,585,037
Goodwill		0	0
Broadcast licenses		0	0
Definite-lived intangible assets		0	0
Other long-term assets		641,820	555,877
Total assets		4,214,566	4,175,022
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		56,461	46,083
Current portion of long-term debt		55,344	42,953
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		0	0
Other current liabilities		0	0
Total current liabilities		111,805	89,036
Long-term debt		3,607,345	3,638,286
Affiliate long-term debt		0	0
Other liabilities		30,122	28,856
Total liabilities		3,749,272	3,756,178
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group equity (deficit)		465,294	418,844
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Total liabilities and equity		4,214,566	4,175,022
Reportable legal entities | Guarantor Subsidiaries and KDSM, LLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash		259	1,749	2,947	28,594
Accounts and other receivables		358,831	359,486
Other current assets		133,404	98,751
Total current assets		492,494	459,986
Property and equipment, net		558,045	569,372
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		4,179	3,978
Goodwill		1,947,153	1,963,254
Broadcast licenses		116,239	118,115
Definite-lived intangible assets		1,618,218	1,698,919
Other long-term assets		113,984	134,454
Total assets		4,850,312	4,948,078
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		192,444	201,102
Current portion of long-term debt		1,525	1,302
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		1,238	1,182
Other current liabilities		133,383	107,867
Total current liabilities		328,590	311,453
Long-term debt		33,179	34,338
Affiliate long-term debt		11,779	12,802
Other liabilities		1,043,471	1,003,213
Total liabilities		1,417,019	1,361,806
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group equity (deficit)		3,433,293	3,586,272
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Total liabilities and equity		4,850,312	4,948,078
Reportable legal entities | Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash		21,134	12,539	12,177	13,536
Accounts and other receivables		30,119	25,111
Other current assets		29,021	19,225
Total current assets		80,274	56,875
Property and equipment, net		171,961	168,762
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Goodwill		4,275	1,299
Broadcast licenses		16,935	16,960
Definite-lived intangible assets		206,671	184,441
Other long-term assets		155,148	128,247
Total assets		635,264	556,584
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		28,131	26,802
Current portion of long-term debt		10,298	68,332
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		1,320	1,026
Other current liabilities		16,086	9,749
Total current liabilities		55,835	105,909
Long-term debt		164,353	82,198
Affiliate long-term debt		360,036	319,901
Other liabilities		173,657	169,935
Total liabilities		753,881	677,943
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group equity (deficit)		(88,965)	(94,632)
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries		(29,652)	(26,727)
Total liabilities and equity		635,264	556,584
Eliminations
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash		0	0	$ 0	$ 0
Accounts and other receivables		(1,840)	(1,258)
Other current assets		(4,491)	(11,733)
Total current assets		(6,331)	(12,991)
Property and equipment, net		(8,327)	(7,099)
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		(3,897,948)	(3,984,240)
Goodwill		0	0
Broadcast licenses		0	0
Definite-lived intangible assets		(61,196)	(65,097)
Other long-term assets		(754,747)	(670,832)
Total assets		(4,728,549)	(4,740,259)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		(4,731)	(13,680)
Current portion of long-term debt		0	0
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		(1,125)	(1,047)
Other current liabilities		(1,485)	(1,407)
Total current liabilities		(7,341)	(16,134)
Long-term debt		0	0
Affiliate long-term debt		(358,229)	(319,902)
Other liabilities		(557,491)	(497,927)
Total liabilities		(923,061)	(833,963)
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group equity (deficit)		(3,809,622)	(3,910,484)
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries		4,134	4,188
Total liabilities and equity		$ (4,728,549)	$ (4,740,259)

[1] Our consolidated total assets as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 include total assets of variable interest entities (VIEs) of $162.3 million and $163.3 million, respectively, which can only be used to settle the obligations of the VIEs. Our consolidated total liabilities as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014 include total liabilities of the VIEs of $39.6 million and $30.0 million, respectively, for which the creditors of the VIEs have no recourse to us. See Note 1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.