Note 5 - Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets - Identified Intangible Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 27, 2020	Sep. 29, 2019
Mastheads	$ 40,459	$ 21,883
Intangible Assets, Net (Excluding Goodwill), Total	182,680	107,393
Customer and Newspaper Subscriber Lists [Member]
Amortizable intangible assets, gross	774,604	697,145
Less accumulated amortization	632,457	611,786
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net, Ending Balance	142,147	85,359
Noncompete Agreements [Member]
Amortizable intangible assets, gross	28,656	28,675
Less accumulated amortization	28,582	28,524
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net, Ending Balance	$ 74	$ 151