Business Segments (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]

Summary of Segment Reporting Information, by Operating Segment [Text Block]

		Fiscal Year Ended
(in thousands)		2012		2011		2010
Operating Revenues
	Education	$	2,196,496	$	2,404,459	$	2,804,840
	Cable television		787,117		760,221		759,884
	Newspaper publishing		581,686		622,532		675,931
	Television broadcasting		399,691		319,206		342,164
	Other businesses		53,540		25,507		4,442
	Corporate office		―		―		―
	Intersegment elimination		(877)		(780)		(844)
		$	4,017,653	$	4,131,145	$	4,586,417
Income (Loss) from Operations
	Education	$	(105,368)	$	96,286	$	359,584
	Cable television		154,581		156,844		163,945
	Newspaper publishing		(53,702)		(21,204)		(11,115)
	Television broadcasting		191,642		117,089		121,348
	Other businesses		(23,244)		(8,735)		(6,326)
	Corporate office		(19,378)		(14,422)		(24,572)
		$	144,531	$	325,858	$	602,864
Equity in Earnings (Losses) of Affiliates, Net			14,086		5,949		(4,133)
Interest Expense, Net			(32,551)		(29,079)		(27,927)
Other (Expense) Income, Net			(5,456)		(55,200)		7,515
Income from Continuing Operations before Income Taxes		$	120,610	$	247,528	$	578,319
Depreciation of Property, Plant and Equipment
	Education	$	101,183	$	83,735	$	73,351
	Cable television		129,107		126,302		124,834
	Newspaper publishing		25,072		26,336		30,341
	Television broadcasting		13,018		12,448		12,720
	Other businesses		263		―		―
	Corporate office		―		244		1,159
		$	268,643	$	249,065	$	242,405
Amortization of Intangible Assets and Impairment of Goodwill and Other Long-Lived Assets
	Education	$	129,312	$	19,417	$	19,202
	Cable television		211		267		327
	Newspaper publishing		654		1,051		1,223
	Television broadcasting		―		―		―
	Other businesses		2,418		1,600		800
	Corporate office		―		―		―
		$	132,595	$	22,335	$	21,552
Net Pension Expense (Credit)
	Education	$	11,584	$	6,345	$	5,707
	Cable television		2,540		1,924		1,919
	Newspaper publishing (1)		42,436		25,283		42,287
	Television broadcasting		4,970		1,669		1,113
	Other businesses		60		17		―
	Corporate office		(36,197)		(36,983)		(34,599)
		$	25,393	$	(1,745)	$	16,427
Capital Expenditures
	Education	$	51,241	$	51,871	$	110,730
	Cable television		150,525		143,225		109,579
	Newspaper publishing		7,746		11,405		10,590
	Television broadcasting		6,401		6,415		6,675
	Other businesses		775		―		―
	Corporate office		―		―		―
		$	216,688	$	212,916	$	237,574

		As of December 31,
(in thousands)		2012		2011
Identifiable Assets
	Education	$	1,988,015	$	2,217,719
	Cable television		1,187,603		1,164,756
	Newspaper publishing		293,592		314,405
	Television broadcasting		374,075		376,259
	Other businesses		81,211		15,381
	Corporate office		180,128		70,902
		$	4,104,624	$	4,159,422
Investments in Marketable Equity Securities			380,087		303,201
Investments in Affiliates			15,535		17,101
Prepaid Pension Cost			604,823		537,262
Total Assets		$	5,105,069	$	5,016,986

Education [Member]

Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]

Schedule of Restructuring Costs

	Fiscal Year Ended
(in thousands)	2012		2011		2010
Accelerated depreciation	$	17,230	$	3,965	$	1,152
Severance		14,349		17,205		15,099
Lease obligation losses		9,794		7,570		5,385
Accelerated amortization of intangible assets		2,595		―		―
Other		1,274		205		5,904
	$	45,242	$	28,945	$	27,540

Summary of Segment Reporting Information, by Operating Segment [Text Block]

		Fiscal Year Ended
(in thousands)		2012		2011		2010
Operating Revenues
	Higher education	$	1,149,407	$	1,399,583	$	1,905,038
	Test preparation		284,252		303,093		314,879
	Kaplan international		764,184		704,581		587,781
	Kaplan corporate and other		4,645		4,585		5,537
	Intersegment elimination		(5,992)		(7,383)		(8,395)
		$	2,196,496	$	2,404,459	$	2,804,840
Income (Loss) from Operations
	Higher education	$	27,245	$	148,915	$	406,880
	Test preparation		(10,799)		(28,498)		(32,583)
	Kaplan international		49,069		41,506		49,309
	Kaplan corporate and other		(171,929)		(64,517)		(63,788)
	Intersegment elimination		1,046		(1,120)		(234)
		$	(105,368)	$	96,286	$	359,584
Depreciation of Property, Plant and Equipment
	Higher education	$	58,514	$	48,379	$	42,412
	Test preparation		19,718		15,489		14,095
	Kaplan international		21,173		16,953		12,993
	Kaplan corporate and other		1,778		2,914		3,851
		$	101,183	$	83,735	$	73,351
Amortization of Intangible Assets		$	17,719	$	19,417	$	19,202
Impairment of Goodwill and Other Long-Lived Assets		$	111,593	$	―	$	―
Pension Expense
	Higher education	$	7,943	$	4,249	$	3,379
	Test preparation		2,007		1,288		1,467
	Kaplan international		241		167		130
	Kaplan corporate and other		1,393		641		731
		$	11,584	$	6,345	$	5,707
Capital Expenditures
	Higher education	$	26,406	$	19,735	$	58,660
	Test preparation		8,211		17,266		32,798
	Kaplan international		16,864		16,304		14,163
	Kaplan corporate and other		(240)		(1,434)		5,109
		$	51,241	$	51,871	$	110,730

		As of December 31,
(in thousands)		2012		2011
Identifiable Assets
	Higher education	$	949,260	$	919,443
	Test preparation		197,672		334,343
	Kaplan international		820,565		810,140
	Kaplan corporate and other		20,518		153,793
		$	1,988,015	$	2,217,719