Condensed Consolidating Financial Information Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended
		Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2017
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Operating Revenues	[1]	$ 443,635	$ 439,910
Programming and direct operating expenses		202,129	240,053
Selling, general and administrative		131,956	165,594
Depreciation and amortization		55,462	55,230
Gain on sale of real estate, net			317
Gain on sales of spectrum		(133,197)	0
Total operating expenses		256,350	460,877
Operating Profit (Loss)	[1],[2]	187,285	(20,967)
Income on equity investments, net		39,137	37,037
Interest and dividend income		1,898	505
Interest expense		(40,631)	(38,758)
Pension and other postretirement periodic benefit credit, net		7,084	5,735
Loss on extinguishment and modification of debt		0	(19,052)
Gain on investment transactions		3,888	4,950
Write-down of investment		0	(122,000)
Other non-operating items		(776)	(276)
Intercompany income (charges)		0	0
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes		197,885	(152,826)
Income tax (benefit) expense		56,702	(51,614)
Equity (deficit) in earnings of consolidated subsidiaries, net of taxes		0	0
Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations		141,183	(101,212)
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, net of taxes		0	15,618
Net Income (Loss)		141,183	(85,594)
Net loss from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests		6	0
Net Income (Loss) attributable to Tribune Media Company		141,189	(85,594)
Comprehensive Income (Loss)		149,681	(77,951)
Eliminations
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Operating Revenues		0	0
Programming and direct operating expenses		0	0
Selling, general and administrative		0	0
Depreciation and amortization		0	0
Gain on sales of spectrum		0
Total operating expenses		0	0
Operating Profit (Loss)		0	0
Income on equity investments, net		0	0
Interest and dividend income		0	0
Interest expense		0	0
Pension and other postretirement periodic benefit credit, net		0	0
Loss on extinguishment and modification of debt			0
Gain on investment transactions		0	0
Write-down of investment			0
Other non-operating items		0	0
Intercompany income (charges)		0	0
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes		0	0
Income tax (benefit) expense		0	0
Equity (deficit) in earnings of consolidated subsidiaries, net of taxes		(178,576)	64,499
Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations		(178,576)	64,499
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, net of taxes		0	1,097
Net Income (Loss)		(178,576)
Net loss from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests		0
Net Income (Loss) attributable to Tribune Media Company		(178,576)	65,596
Comprehensive Income (Loss)		(179,011)	52,353
Parent (Tribune Media Company) | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Operating Revenues		0	0
Programming and direct operating expenses		0	0
Selling, general and administrative		22,864	38,702
Depreciation and amortization		2,404	2,948
Gain on sales of spectrum		0
Total operating expenses		25,268	41,650
Operating Profit (Loss)		(25,268)	(41,650)
Income on equity investments, net		0	(469)
Interest and dividend income		1,898	482
Interest expense		(40,631)	(38,592)
Pension and other postretirement periodic benefit credit, net		7,084	5,735
Loss on extinguishment and modification of debt			(19,052)
Gain on investment transactions		0	4,950
Write-down of investment			0
Other non-operating items		(776)	(276)
Intercompany income (charges)		12,413	28,218
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes		(45,280)	(60,654)
Income tax (benefit) expense		(7,555)	(23,715)
Equity (deficit) in earnings of consolidated subsidiaries, net of taxes		178,914	(64,273)
Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations		141,189	(101,212)
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, net of taxes		0	15,618
Net Income (Loss)		141,189
Net loss from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests		0
Net Income (Loss) attributable to Tribune Media Company		141,189	(85,594)
Comprehensive Income (Loss)		149,681	(77,951)
Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Operating Revenues		440,891	437,487
Programming and direct operating expenses		201,343	239,232
Selling, general and administrative		108,372	126,089
Depreciation and amortization		49,932	49,162
Gain on sales of spectrum		(133,197)
Total operating expenses		226,450	414,483
Operating Profit (Loss)		214,441	23,004
Income on equity investments, net		39,137	37,506
Interest and dividend income		0	23
Interest expense		0	0
Pension and other postretirement periodic benefit credit, net		0	0
Loss on extinguishment and modification of debt			0
Gain on investment transactions		3,888	0
Write-down of investment			(122,000)
Other non-operating items		0	0
Intercompany income (charges)		(12,378)	(28,151)
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes		245,088	(89,618)
Income tax (benefit) expense		64,792	(26,941)
Equity (deficit) in earnings of consolidated subsidiaries, net of taxes		(338)	(226)
Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations		179,958	(62,903)
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, net of taxes		0	(1,904)
Net Income (Loss)		179,958
Net loss from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests		0
Net Income (Loss) attributable to Tribune Media Company		179,958	(64,807)
Comprehensive Income (Loss)		179,933	(62,931)
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Operating Revenues		2,744	2,423
Programming and direct operating expenses		786	821
Selling, general and administrative		720	803
Depreciation and amortization		3,126	3,120
Gain on sales of spectrum		0
Total operating expenses		4,632	4,744
Operating Profit (Loss)		(1,888)	(2,321)
Income on equity investments, net		0	0
Interest and dividend income		0	0
Interest expense		0	(166)
Pension and other postretirement periodic benefit credit, net		0	0
Loss on extinguishment and modification of debt			0
Gain on investment transactions		0	0
Write-down of investment			0
Other non-operating items		0	0
Intercompany income (charges)		(35)	(67)
Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes		(1,923)	(2,554)
Income tax (benefit) expense		(535)	(958)
Equity (deficit) in earnings of consolidated subsidiaries, net of taxes		0	0
Net Income (Loss) from Continuing Operations		(1,388)	(1,596)
Income (Loss) from Discontinued Operations, net of taxes		0	807
Net Income (Loss)		(1,388)
Net loss from continuing operations attributable to noncontrolling interests		6
Net Income (Loss) attributable to Tribune Media Company		(1,382)	(789)
Comprehensive Income (Loss)		$ (922)	$ 10,578

[1] (1)See Note 2 for the disclosures of operating revenues and operating loss included in discontinued operations for the historical periods.

[2] (2)Operating profit (loss) for each segment excludes income and loss on equity investments, interest and dividend income, interest expense, non-operating items, reorganization costs and income taxes.