Note 2 - Mergers and Acquisitions (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended			0 Months Ended									1 Months Ended				3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended			9 Months Ended			3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2014	Sep. 30, 2013	Nov. 11, 2013 Common Class A and Common Class B [Member] Included in Purchase Price [Member] Legacy Media General [Member]	Nov. 11, 2013 PARS and Stock Options [Member] Included in Purchase Price [Member] Legacy Media General [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Asset Purchase Agreement [Member] Scenario, Plan [Member] KXRM and KXTU [Member] Sinclair Broadcasting Group [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Asset Purchase Agreement [Member] Scenario, Plan [Member] WTTA [Member] Sinclair Broadcasting Group [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Asset Purchase Agreement [Member] WJAR [Member] Sinclair Broadcasting Group [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Asset Purchase Agreement [Member] WLUK and WCWF [Member] Sinclair Broadcasting Group [Member] LIN Media LLC [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Asset Purchase Agreement [Member] Certain WTGS Assets [Member] Sinclair Broadcasting Group [Member] LIN Media LLC [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Asset Purchase Agreement [Member] WVTM [Member] Hearst Television Inc. [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Asset Purchase Agreement [Member] WJCL [Member] Hearst Television Inc. [Member] LIN Media LLC [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Asset Purchase Agreement [Member] WALA [Member] Meredith Corporation [Member] LIN Media LLC [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Scenario, Plan [Member] Media General and LIN [Member] Maximum [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Scenario, Plan [Member] Media General and LIN [Member]	Mar. 31, 2014 Scenario, Plan [Member] Media General and LIN [Member]	Nov. 11, 2013 Included in Purchase Price [Member] Legacy Media General [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Excluded from Pro-Forma Results [Member] Legacy Media General [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Excluded from Pro-Forma Results [Member] Legacy Media General [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Excluded from Pro-Forma Results [Member] Legacy Media General [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Excluded from Pro-Forma Results [Member] Legacy Media General [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Network Affiliation Agreements [Member] Acquisition of WHTM-TV [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Network Affiliation Agreements [Member] Legacy Media General [Member]	Nov. 12, 2013 Network Affiliation Agreements [Member] Legacy Media General [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Advertiser Relationships [Member] Acquisition of WHTM-TV [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Advertiser Relationships [Member] Legacy Media General [Member]	Nov. 12, 2013 Advertiser Relationships [Member] Legacy Media General [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Program Rights [Member] Acquisition of WHTM-TV [Member] Maximum [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Lease Assets [Member] Legacy Media General [Member]	Nov. 12, 2013 Lease Assets [Member] Legacy Media General [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Media General and LIN [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Media General and LIN [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Acquisition of WHTM-TV [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Legacy Media General [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Legacy Media General [Member]	Sep. 30, 2014 Legacy Media General [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Legacy Media General [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Legacy Media General [Member]	Nov. 12, 2013 Legacy Media General [Member]	Nov. 11, 2013 Legacy Media General [Member]
Note 2 - Mergers and Acquisitions (Details) [Line Items]
Payments to Acquire Businesses, Gross															$ 763,000,000																			$ 83,400,000
Noncash or Part Noncash Acquisition, Noncash Financial or Equity Instrument Consideration, Shares Issued (in Shares)																38,800,000
Number of Stations																	71																								18
Number of Markets																	48
Business Combination, Acquisition Related Costs	3,596,000	3,236,000	13,173,000	7,623,000															1,200,000	8,400,000	4,500,000	16,000,000										2,700,000	9,600,000	100,000	800,000	3,200,000	3,500,000	7,600,000
Disposal Group, Including Discontinued Operation, Long Lived Assets									120,000,000	70,000,000	17,500,000	58,000,000	4,500,000	86,000,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Assets							53,100,000	40,000,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Finite-Lived Intangibles																							21,900,000		154,700,000	6,400,000		58,000,000			1,400,000			28,300,000					214,080,000
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life																							15 years	15 years		7 years	7 years			10 years
Fair Value Assumptions, Expected Term																													1 year
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding (in Shares)		47,802,816		47,802,816	27,985,795
Share Price (in Dollars per share)																		$ 15.06
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period, Fair Value						12,700,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Cash and Equivalents																																								17,300,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Assets, Receivables																																								64,400,000
Business Acquisition, Goodwill, Expected Tax Deductible Amount																																			164,000,000		164,000,000
Business Combination, Pro Forma Information, Revenue of Acquiree since Acquisition Date, Actual																																			94,000,000		277,000,000
Business Combination, Pro Forma Information, Earnings or Loss of Acquiree since Acquisition Date, Actual																																			$ 13,100,000		$ 27,200,000