CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - Statement of Cash Flow (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Net cash flows from operating activities	$ 311,488	$ 358,397
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment	(72,476)	(58,151)
Payments for acquisition of television stations	(15,514)	(1,071,428)
Purchase of alarm monitoring contracts	(31,340)	(15,647)
Proceeds from sale of broadcast assets	23,650	83,200
Decrease in restricted cash	0	(92,583)
Investments in equity and cost method investees	(43,068)	(7,958)
Payments for acquisition of assets in other operating divisions	0	(8,273)
Proceeds from termination of life insurance policies	0	17,042
Other, net	(11,215)	(6,936)
Net cash flows used in investing activities	(127,533)	(1,146,862)
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing	379,481	1,061,490
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing and capital leases	(375,104)	(286,417)
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B common stock	(47,104)	(45,322)
Payments for deferred financing cost	(3,847)	(15,010)
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	(28,823)	(108,438)
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	0	0
Noncontrolling interests distributions	(6,655)	(4,294)
Other, net	(196)	(13,602)
Net cash flows used in financing activities	(82,248)	607,711
NET INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS	101,707	(180,754)
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, beginning of period	17,682	280,104
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, end of period	119,389	99,350
Reportable legal entities | Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Net cash flows from operating activities	(8,709)	(27,282)
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment	0	0
Payments for acquisition of television stations	0	0
Purchase of alarm monitoring contracts	0	0
Proceeds from sale of broadcast assets	0	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	(3,776)	(1,000)
Net cash flows used in investing activities	3,776	1,000
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing	0	0
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing and capital leases	(473)	(408)
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B common stock	(47,104)	(45,322)
Payments for deferred financing cost	0
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	(28,823)	(108,438)
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	82,410	178,331
Noncontrolling interests distributions	0
Other, net	(1,077)	2,119
Net cash flows used in financing activities	4,933	26,282
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 from operating activities	(66,929)	(77,257)
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment	(7,687)	(8,482)
Payments for acquisition of television stations	0	0
Purchase of alarm monitoring contracts	0	0
Proceeds from sale of broadcast assets	0	0
Decrease in restricted cash		(9,600)
Investments in equity and cost method investees	(7,486)	0
Payments for acquisition of assets in other operating divisions		0
Proceeds from termination of life insurance policies		17,042
Other, net	(539)	0
Net cash flows used in investing activities	(14,634)	(1,040)
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing	349,559	1,040,796
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing and capital leases	(370,011)	(280,121)
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B common stock	0	0
Payments for deferred financing cost	(3,604)
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	0	0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	200,108	(821,116)
Noncontrolling interests distributions	0
Other, net	113	(15,010)
Net cash flows used in financing activities	176,165	(75,451)
NET INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS	94,602	(153,748)
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, beginning of period	3,394	237,974
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, end of period	97,996	84,226
Reportable legal entities | Guarantor Subsidiaries and KDSM, LLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Net cash flows from operating activities	390,101	426,702
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment	(64,693)	(47,961)
Payments for acquisition of television stations	(15,514)	(1,071,428)
Purchase of alarm monitoring contracts	0	0
Proceeds from sale of broadcast assets	23,650	83,200
Decrease in restricted cash		(82,983)
Investments in equity and cost method investees	(27)	0
Payments for acquisition of assets in other operating divisions		0
Proceeds from termination of life insurance policies		0
Other, net	(530)	(5,000)
Net cash flows used in investing activities	(56,054)	(1,114,172)
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing	0	0
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing and capital leases	(937)	(743)
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B common stock	0	0
Payments for deferred financing cost	0
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	0	0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	(335,447)	663,350
Noncontrolling interests distributions	0
Other, net	847	(784)
Net cash flows used in financing activities	(335,537)	661,823
NET INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS	(1,490)	(25,647)
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, beginning of period	1,749	28,594
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, end of period	259	2,947
Reportable legal entities | Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Net cash flows from operating activities	(21,156)	22,125
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment	(1,603)	(1,708)
Payments for acquisition of television stations	0	0
Purchase of alarm monitoring contracts	(31,340)	(15,647)
Proceeds from sale of broadcast assets	0	0
Decrease in restricted cash		0
Investments in equity and cost method investees	(35,555)	(7,958)
Payments for acquisition of assets in other operating divisions		(8,273)
Proceeds from termination of life insurance policies		0
Other, net	(6,370)	(936)
Net cash flows used in investing activities	(62,128)	(32,650)
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing	29,922	20,694
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing and capital leases	(3,683)	(5,145)
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B common stock	0	0
Payments for deferred financing cost	(243)
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	0	0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	72,757	(6,456)
Noncontrolling interests distributions	(6,655)
Other, net	(219)	73
Net cash flows used in financing activities	91,879	9,166
NET INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS	8,595	(1,359)
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, beginning of period	12,539	13,536
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, end of period	21,134	12,177
Eliminations
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Net cash flows from operating activities	18,181	14,109
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment	1,507	0
Payments for acquisition of television stations	0	0
Purchase of alarm monitoring contracts	0	0
Proceeds from sale of broadcast assets	0	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	1,507	0
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing	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
Payments for deferred financing cost	0
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock	0	0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables	(19,828)	(14,109)
Noncontrolling interests distributions	0
Other, net	140	0
Net cash flows used in financing activities	(19,688)	(14,109)
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