CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - Balance Sheet (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash		$ 104,545	$ 149,972	$ 119,389	$ 17,682
Accounts receivable		519,662	424,608
Other current assets		165,883	127,183
Total current assets		790,090	701,763
Property and equipment, net		713,088	717,137
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Goodwill		1,989,578	1,931,093
Indefinite-lived intangible assets		153,125	132,465
Definite-lived intangible assets		1,983,326	1,751,570
Other long-term assets		236,981	198,287
Total assets	[1]	5,866,188	5,432,315
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		291,213	251,313
Current portion of long-term debt		165,238	164,184
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		3,599	3,166
Other current liabilities		139,695	116,340
Total current liabilities		599,745	535,003
Long-term debt		4,022,437	3,669,160
Affiliate long-term debt		15,036	17,850
Other liabilities		742,304	710,624
Total liabilities	[1]	5,379,522	4,932,637
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group equity (deficit)		516,516	525,810
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries		(29,850)	(26,132)
Total liabilities and equity		5,866,188	5,432,315
Reportable legal entities | Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash		0	0	0	0
Accounts receivable		0	0
Other current assets		3,371	3,648
Total current assets		3,371	3,648
Property and equipment, net		2,086	2,884
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		483,523	497,262
Goodwill		0	0
Indefinite-lived intangible assets		0	0
Definite-lived intangible assets		0	0
Other long-term assets		52,116	52,128
Total assets		541,096	555,922
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		102	104
Current portion of long-term debt		0	0
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		1,804	1,651
Other current liabilities		0	0
Total current liabilities		1,906	1,755
Long-term debt		0	0
Affiliate long-term debt		479	1,857
Other liabilities		22,196	26,500
Total liabilities		24,581	30,112
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group equity (deficit)		516,515	525,810
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Total liabilities and equity		541,096	555,922
Reportable legal entities | Sinclair Television Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash		81,671	115,771	97,996	3,394
Accounts receivable		0	1,775
Other current assets		6,457	5,172
Total current assets		88,128	122,718
Property and equipment, net		17,710	20,336
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		3,696,504	3,430,434
Goodwill		0	0
Indefinite-lived intangible assets		0	0
Definite-lived intangible assets		0	0
Other long-term assets		782,850	673,915
Total assets		4,585,192	4,247,403
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		55,484	49,428
Current portion of long-term debt		55,500	57,640
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		0	0
Other current liabilities		0	0
Total current liabilities		110,984	107,068
Long-term debt		3,951,479	3,594,218
Affiliate long-term debt		0	0
Other liabilities		31,612	28,866
Total liabilities		4,094,075	3,730,152
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group equity (deficit)		491,117	517,251
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Total liabilities and equity		4,585,192	4,247,403
Reportable legal entities | Guarantor Subsidiaries and KDSM, LLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash		4,550	235	259	1,749
Accounts receivable		483,686	390,142
Other current assets		132,250	99,118
Total current assets		620,486	489,495
Property and equipment, net		566,633	559,042
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		4,180	4,179
Goodwill		1,985,299	1,926,814
Indefinite-lived intangible assets		137,416	114,841
Definite-lived intangible assets		1,816,553	1,602,454
Other long-term assets		105,247	110,507
Total assets		5,235,814	4,807,332
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		211,362	179,156
Current portion of long-term debt		1,803	1,611
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		1,569	1,311
Other current liabilities		123,020	103,627
Total current liabilities		337,754	285,705
Long-term debt		31,521	32,743
Affiliate long-term debt		12,977	14,240
Other liabilities		1,173,805	1,060,211
Total liabilities		1,556,057	1,392,899
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group equity (deficit)		3,679,757	3,414,433
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Total liabilities and equity		5,235,814	4,807,332
Reportable legal entities | Non- Guarantor Subsidiaries
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash		18,324	33,966	21,134	12,539
Accounts receivable		37,237	33,949
Other current assets		27,434	23,278
Total current assets		82,995	91,193
Property and equipment, net		130,309	143,667
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Goodwill		4,279	4,279
Indefinite-lived intangible assets		15,709	17,624
Definite-lived intangible assets		227,351	206,975
Other long-term assets		160,180	140,910
Total assets		620,823	604,648
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		28,427	27,462
Current portion of long-term debt		107,935	106,358
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		2,258	456
Other current liabilities		16,675	12,713
Total current liabilities		155,295	146,989
Long-term debt		39,437	42,199
Affiliate long-term debt		384,174	366,042
Other liabilities		177,155	171,102
Total liabilities		756,061	726,332
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group equity (deficit)		(101,024)	(91,703)
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries		(34,214)	(29,981)
Total liabilities and equity		620,823	604,648
Eliminations
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash		0	0	$ 0	$ 0
Accounts receivable		(1,261)	(1,258)
Other current assets		(3,629)	(4,033)
Total current assets		(4,890)	(5,291)
Property and equipment, net		(3,650)	(8,792)
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		(4,184,207)	(3,931,875)
Goodwill		0	0
Indefinite-lived intangible assets		0	0
Definite-lived intangible assets		(60,578)	(57,859)
Other long-term assets		(863,412)	(779,173)
Total assets		(5,116,737)	(4,782,990)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		(4,162)	(4,837)
Current portion of long-term debt		0	(1,425)
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		(2,032)	(252)
Other current liabilities		0	0
Total current liabilities		(6,194)	(6,514)
Long-term debt		0	0
Affiliate long-term debt		(382,594)	(364,289)
Other liabilities		(662,464)	(576,055)
Total liabilities		(1,051,252)	(946,858)
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group equity (deficit)		(4,069,849)	(3,839,981)
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries		4,364	3,849
Total liabilities and equity		$ (5,116,737)	$ (4,782,990)

[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.