CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - Statement of Cash Flows (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020	Mar. 31, 2020	Jun. 30, 2020	Jun. 30, 2019
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES			$ 334	$ 223
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment			(97)	(62)
Spectrum repack reimbursements			52	22
Proceeds from the sale of assets			18	0
Purchases of investments			(48)	(47)
Other, net			4	5
Net cash flows used in investing activities			(71)	(82)
CASH FLOWS USED IN FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing			873	1
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing, and finance leases			(928)	(109)
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock			(261)	(125)
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock			(35)	(36)
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity	$ (11)	$ (13)	(24)	0
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net			(7)	(3)
Distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interests			378	0
Redemption of redeemable subsidiary preferred equity			(198)	0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables			0	0
Other, net			(16)	0
Net cash flows used in financing activities			(974)	(272)
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH			(711)	(131)
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period		1,333	1,333	1,060
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	622		622	929
Reportable legal entities | Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES			(124)	0
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment			0	0
Spectrum repack reimbursements			0	0
Proceeds from the sale of assets			0
Purchases of investments			(1)	(2)
Other, net			1	0
Net cash flows used in investing activities			0	(2)
CASH FLOWS USED IN FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing			0	0
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing, and finance leases			0	0
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock			(261)	(125)
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock			(35)	(36)
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity			0
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net			0	0
Distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interests			0
Redemption of redeemable subsidiary preferred equity			0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables			420	163
Other, net			0
Net cash flows used in financing activities			124	2
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH			0	0
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period		0	0	0
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	0		0	0
Reportable legal entities | Sinclair Television Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES			(98)	(122)
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment			(6)	(2)
Spectrum repack reimbursements			0	0
Proceeds from the sale of assets			0
Purchases of investments			(5)	(9)
Other, net			0	2
Net cash flows used in investing activities			(11)	(9)
CASH FLOWS USED IN FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing			648	0
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing, and finance leases			(663)	(103)
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock			0	0
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock			0	0
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity			0
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net			0	0
Distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interests			0
Redemption of redeemable subsidiary preferred equity			0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables			(65)	164
Other, net			0
Net cash flows used in financing activities			(80)	61
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH			(189)	(70)
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period		357	357	962
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	168		168	892
Reportable legal entities | Guarantor Subsidiaries and KDSM, LLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES			313	328
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment			(83)	(64)
Spectrum repack reimbursements			52	22
Proceeds from the sale of assets			18
Purchases of investments			(22)	(30)
Other, net			(8)	0
Net cash flows used in investing activities			(43)	(72)
CASH FLOWS USED IN FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing			0	0
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing, and finance leases			(2)	(2)
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock			0	0
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock			0	0
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity			0
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net			0	0
Distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interests			0
Redemption of redeemable subsidiary preferred equity			0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables			(268)	(270)
Other, net			0
Net cash flows used in financing activities			(270)	(272)
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH			0	(16)
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period		3	3	19
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	3		3	3
Reportable legal entities | Non- Guarantor Subsidiaries
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES			243	22
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment			(13)	(1)
Spectrum repack reimbursements			0	0
Proceeds from the sale of assets			0
Purchases of investments			(20)	(6)
Other, net			11	3
Net cash flows used in investing activities			(22)	(4)
CASH FLOWS USED IN FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing			225	1
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing, and finance leases			(263)	(25)
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock			0	0
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock			0	0
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity			(24)
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net			(7)	(3)
Distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interests			378
Redemption of redeemable subsidiary preferred equity			(198)
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables			(82)	(36)
Other, net			(16)
Net cash flows used in financing activities			(743)	(63)
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH			(522)	(45)
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period		973	973	79
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	451		451	34
Eliminations
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
NET CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) OPERATING ACTIVITIES			0	(5)
CASH FLOWS FROM (USED IN) INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Acquisition of property and equipment			5	5
Spectrum repack reimbursements			0	0
Proceeds from the sale of assets			0
Purchases of investments			0	0
Other, net			0	0
Net cash flows used in investing activities			5	5
CASH FLOWS USED IN FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from notes payable and commercial bank financing			0	0
Repayments of notes payable, commercial bank financing, and finance leases			0	21
Repurchase of outstanding Class A Common Stock			0	0
Dividends paid on Class A and Class B Common Stock			0	0
Dividends paid on redeemable subsidiary preferred equity			0
Distributions to noncontrolling interests, net			0	0
Distributions to redeemable noncontrolling interests			0
Redemption of redeemable subsidiary preferred equity			0
Increase (decrease) in intercompany payables			(5)	(21)
Other, net			0
Net cash flows used in financing activities			(5)	0
NET DECREASE IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH			0	0
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, beginning of period		$ 0	0	0
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS, AND RESTRICTED CASH, end of period	$ 0		$ 0	$ 0