Guarantor Financial Information - Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 33,593	$ 41,091	$ 58,311	$ 43,920
Trade accounts receivable, net		291,889	298,474
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		17,387	15,083
Total current assets		342,869	354,648
Property and equipment, net		457,418	470,537
Other assets, net		32,910	38,070
Definite lived intangible assets, net		849,839	871,129
Broadcast licenses		1,097,100	1,097,100
Goodwill		1,544,624	1,544,624
Advances to consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Total assets	[1]	4,324,760	4,376,108
Current liabilities:
Trade accounts payable		19,854	35,800
Accrued salaries and wages		21,129	21,465
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities		108,110	95,500
Current installments of long-term debt		3,514	3,804
Current installments of obligation under capital leases		841	859
Total current liabilities		153,448	157,428
Long-term debt excluding current maturities		2,200,343	2,199,110
Deferred tax liability and other long-term tax liabilities		293,973	315,234
Long-term capital lease obligations		13,810	14,012
Retirement and postretirement plans		179,377	182,987
Other liabilities		33,287	34,920
Total liabilities	[2]	2,874,238	2,903,691
Noncontrolling interests		37,465	24,447
Stockholders' equity:
Total stockholders (deficit) equity		1,413,057	1,447,970	1,495,813	1,500,421
Total liabilities, noncontrolling interest and stockholders' equity (deficit)		4,324,760	4,376,108
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | Media General [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		0	0	0	2,388
Trade accounts receivable, net		0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		0	0
Total current assets		0	0
Property and equipment, net		0	0
Other assets, net		0	0
Definite lived intangible assets, net		0	0
Broadcast licenses		0	0
Goodwill		0	0
Advances to consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		1,413,057	1,447,970
Total assets		1,413,057	1,447,970
Current liabilities:
Trade accounts payable		0	0
Accrued salaries and wages		0	0
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities		0	0
Current installments of long-term debt		0	0
Current installments of obligation under capital leases		0	0
Total current liabilities		0	0
Long-term debt excluding current maturities		0	0
Deferred tax liability and other long-term tax liabilities		0	0
Long-term capital lease obligations		0	0
Retirement and postretirement plans		0	0
Other liabilities		0	0
Total liabilities		0	0
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Stockholders' equity:
Total stockholders (deficit) equity		1,413,057	1,447,970
Total liabilities, noncontrolling interest and stockholders' equity (deficit)		1,413,057	1,447,970
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | LIN Television Corporation [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		0	1,103	27,816	9,658
Trade accounts receivable, net		77,599	75,866
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		2,743	3,264
Total current assets		80,342	80,233
Property and equipment, net		153,261	158,627
Other assets, net		727	7,199
Definite lived intangible assets, net		359,722	368,011
Broadcast licenses		0	0
Goodwill		527,077	527,077
Advances to consolidated subsidiaries		(237,643)	(206,396)
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		1,296,899	1,319,392
Total assets		2,180,385	2,254,143
Current liabilities:
Trade accounts payable		399	2,010
Accrued salaries and wages		3,850	2,022
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities		22,291	23,237
Current installments of long-term debt		0	0
Current installments of obligation under capital leases		575	575
Total current liabilities		27,115	27,844
Long-term debt excluding current maturities		668,122	667,867
Deferred tax liability and other long-term tax liabilities		58,015	62,785
Long-term capital lease obligations		12,811	12,953
Retirement and postretirement plans		0	25,917
Other liabilities		1,265	8,807
Total liabilities		767,328	806,173
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Stockholders' equity:
Total stockholders (deficit) equity		1,413,057	1,447,970
Total liabilities, noncontrolling interest and stockholders' equity (deficit)		2,180,385	2,254,143
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		29,512	35,925	24,042	27,371
Trade accounts receivable, net		183,913	192,306
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		13,144	10,441
Total current assets		226,569	238,672
Property and equipment, net		301,380	309,160
Other assets, net		29,038	27,523
Definite lived intangible assets, net		445,675	458,261
Broadcast licenses		1,025,800	1,025,800
Goodwill		924,708	924,708
Advances to consolidated subsidiaries		254,351	223,051
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Total assets		3,207,521	3,207,175
Current liabilities:
Trade accounts payable		16,459	30,689
Accrued salaries and wages		16,709	19,016
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities		80,050	68,101
Current installments of long-term debt		0	0
Current installments of obligation under capital leases		246	256
Total current liabilities		113,464	118,062
Long-term debt excluding current maturities		1,508,935	1,507,181
Deferred tax liability and other long-term tax liabilities		237,358	253,232
Long-term capital lease obligations		999	1,059
Retirement and postretirement plans		179,377	157,070
Other liabilities		27,056	20,999
Total liabilities		2,067,189	2,057,603
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Stockholders' equity:
Total stockholders (deficit) equity		1,140,332	1,149,572
Total liabilities, noncontrolling interest and stockholders' equity (deficit)		3,207,521	3,207,175
Reportable Legal Entities [Member] | Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		4,081	4,063	6,453	4,503
Trade accounts receivable, net		30,377	30,302
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		1,500	1,378
Total current assets		35,958	35,743
Property and equipment, net		2,777	2,750
Other assets, net		3,145	3,348
Definite lived intangible assets, net		44,442	44,857
Broadcast licenses		71,300	71,300
Goodwill		92,839	92,839
Advances to consolidated subsidiaries		(16,708)	(16,655)
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Total assets		233,753	234,182
Current liabilities:
Trade accounts payable		2,996	3,101
Accrued salaries and wages		570	427
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities		5,769	4,162
Current installments of long-term debt		3,514	3,804
Current installments of obligation under capital leases		20	28
Total current liabilities		12,869	11,522
Long-term debt excluding current maturities		23,286	24,062
Deferred tax liability and other long-term tax liabilities		(1,400)	(783)
Long-term capital lease obligations		0	0
Retirement and postretirement plans		0	0
Other liabilities		4,966	5,114
Total liabilities		39,721	39,915
Noncontrolling interests		37,465	24,447
Stockholders' equity:
Total stockholders (deficit) equity		156,567	169,820
Total liabilities, noncontrolling interest and stockholders' equity (deficit)		233,753	234,182
Eliminations [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		0	0	$ 0	$ 0
Trade accounts receivable, net		0	0
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		0	0
Total current assets		0	0
Property and equipment, net		0	0
Other assets, net		0	0
Definite lived intangible assets, net		0	0
Broadcast licenses		0	0
Goodwill		0	$ 0
Advances to consolidated subsidiaries		0
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		(2,709,956)	$ (2,767,362)
Total assets		(2,709,956)	(2,767,362)
Current liabilities:
Trade accounts payable		0	0
Accrued salaries and wages		0	0
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities		0	0
Current installments of long-term debt		0	0
Current installments of obligation under capital leases		0	0
Total current liabilities		0	0
Long-term debt excluding current maturities		0	0
Deferred tax liability and other long-term tax liabilities		0	0
Long-term capital lease obligations		0	0
Retirement and postretirement plans		0	0
Other liabilities		0	0
Total liabilities		0	0
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Stockholders' equity:
Total stockholders (deficit) equity		(2,709,956)	(2,767,362)
Total liabilities, noncontrolling interest and stockholders' equity (deficit)		$ (2,709,956)	$ (2,767,362)

[1] Consolidated assets as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, include total assets of variable interest entities (VIEs) of $142 million and $145 million, respectively, which can only be used to settle the obligations of the VIEs. See Note 1 and Note 3.

[2] Consolidated liabilities as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, include total liabilities of VIEs of $36 million and $38 million, respectively, for which the creditors of the VIEs have no recourse to the Company, except for certain of the debt, which the Company guarantees. See Note 1 and Note 3.