NATURE OF OPERATIONS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Schedule of Variable Interest Entities Assets and Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
CURRENT ASSETS:
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 104,545	$ 149,972	$ 119,389	$ 17,682
Accounts receivable		519,662	424,608
Current portion of program contract costs		110,228	91,466
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		37,909	26,903
Total current assets		790,090	701,763
PROGRAM CONTRACT COSTS, less current portion		12,245	18,996
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, net		713,088	717,137
GOODWILL		1,989,578	1,931,093
INDEFINITE-LIVED INTANGIBLE ASSETS		153,125	132,465
DEFINITE-LIVED INTANGIBLE ASSETS, net		1,983,326	1,751,570
OTHER ASSETS		224,736	175,566
Total assets	[1]	5,866,188	5,432,315
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		291,213	251,313
Current portion of notes payable, capital leases and commercial bank financing		165,238	164,184
Current portion of program contracts payable		131,553	108,260
Total current liabilities		599,745	535,003
LONG-TERM LIABILITIES:
Notes payable, capital leases and commercial bank financing, less current portion		4,022,437	3,669,160
Program contracts payable, less current portion		57,724	56,921
Other long-term liabilities		71,619	68,631
Total liabilities	[1]	5,379,522	4,932,637
Consolidated VIEs, aggregated
CURRENT ASSETS:
Cash and cash equivalents		490	490
Accounts receivable		24,945	21,719
Current portion of program contract costs		14,895	13,287
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		318	331
Total current assets		40,648	35,827
PROGRAM CONTRACT COSTS, less current portion		3,078	4,541
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, net		3,301	7,609
GOODWILL		791	787
INDEFINITE-LIVED INTANGIBLE ASSETS		15,684	17,599
DEFINITE-LIVED INTANGIBLE ASSETS, net		80,693	79,086
OTHER ASSETS		6,924	6,924
Total assets		151,119	152,373
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		1,112	1,240
Current portion of notes payable, capital leases and commercial bank financing		3,710	3,687
Current portion of program contracts payable		16,573	12,627
Total current liabilities		21,395	17,554
LONG-TERM LIABILITIES:
Notes payable, capital leases and commercial bank financing, less current portion		21,944	24,594
Program contracts payable, less current portion		14,036	13,679
Other long-term liabilities		9,364	8,067
Total liabilities		$ 66,739	$ 63,894

[1] Our consolidated total assets as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 include total assets of variable interest entities (VIEs) of $151.1 million and $152.4 million, respectively, which can only be used to settle the obligations of the VIEs. Our consolidated total liabilities as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 include total liabilities of the VIEs of $41.1 million and $35.6 million, respectively, for which the creditors of the VIEs have no recourse to us. See Note 1. Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.