Document And Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 24, 2012	Jul. 29, 2012 Common Class A [Member]	Jul. 29, 2012 Common Class B [Member]
Entity Registrant Name	MEDIA GENERAL INC
Document Type	10-Q
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-25
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		22,733,767	548,564
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Central Index Key	0000216539
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Document Period End Date	Jun. 24, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2