Condensed Consolidating Financial Information Balance Sheets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Mar. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 795,438	$ 673,685	$ 346,221
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		16,607	17,566	17,566	$ 17,566
Accounts receivable, net		383,120	420,095
Broadcast rights		91,681	129,174
Income taxes receivable		18,067	18,274
Prepaid expenses		21,796	20,158
Other		23,195	14,039
Total current assets		1,349,904	1,292,991
Property, plant and equipment		677,247	673,682
Accumulated depreciation		(243,677)	(233,387)
Net properties		433,570	440,295
Investments in subsidiaries		0	0
Broadcast rights		105,254	133,683
Goodwill		3,229,238	3,228,988
Other intangible assets, net		1,571,957	1,613,665
Assets held for sale	[1]	0	38,900
Investments		1,205,785	1,281,791
Intercompany receivables		0	0
Other assets		151,996	139,015
Total other assets		6,264,230	6,436,042
Total Assets (1)	[2]	8,047,704	8,169,328
Accounts payable		43,068	48,319
Income taxes payable		76,189	36,252
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		215,857	253,244
Deferred revenue		13,641	11,942
Interest payable		14,412	30,525
DeferredSpectrumAuctionProceeds		0	172,102
Other		77,014	101,883
Total current liabilities		440,181	654,267
Long-term debt		2,920,882	2,919,185
Deferred income taxes		527,719	508,174
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		252,941	300,420
Intercompany payables		0	0
Other		560,846	570,102
Total non-current liabilities		4,262,388	4,297,881
Total Liabilities (1)	[2]	4,702,569	4,952,148
Common stock		102	101
Treasury stock		(632,194)	(632,194)
Additional paid-in-capital		4,012,052	4,011,530
Retained earnings (deficit)		4,706	(114,240)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(39,569)	(48,061)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		3,345,097	3,217,136
Noncontrolling interests		38	44
Total shareholders’ equity		3,345,135	3,217,180
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		8,047,704	8,169,328
Eliminations
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		0	0	0
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		0	0	0
Accounts receivable, net		0	0
Broadcast rights		0	0
Income taxes receivable		0	0
Prepaid expenses		0	0
Other		0	0
Total current assets		0	0
Property, plant and equipment		0	0
Accumulated depreciation		0	0
Net properties		0	0
Investments in subsidiaries		(10,632,569)	(10,453,558)
Broadcast rights		0	0
Goodwill		0	0
Other intangible assets, net		0	0
Assets held for sale			0
Investments		0	0
Intercompany receivables		(9,959,605)	(9,458,712)
Other assets		(53,754)	(62,477)
Total other assets		(10,013,359)	(9,521,189)
Total Assets (1)		(20,645,928)	(19,974,747)
Accounts payable		0	0
Income taxes payable		0	0
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		0	0
Deferred revenue		0	0
Interest payable		0	0
DeferredSpectrumAuctionProceeds			0
Other		0	0
Total current liabilities		0	0
Long-term debt		0	0
Deferred income taxes		(53,754)	(62,477)
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		0	0
Intercompany payables		(9,959,605)	(9,458,712)
Other		0	0
Total non-current liabilities		(10,013,359)	(9,521,189)
Total Liabilities (1)		(10,013,359)	(9,521,189)
Common stock		0	0
Treasury stock		0	0
Additional paid-in-capital		(9,243,007)	(9,243,007)
Retained earnings (deficit)		(1,391,083)	(1,212,507)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		1,521	1,956
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		(10,632,569)	(10,453,558)
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Total shareholders’ equity		(10,632,569)	(10,453,558)
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		(20,645,928)	(19,974,747)
Parent (Tribune Media Company) | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		791,604	670,302	342,957
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		16,607	17,566	17,566
Accounts receivable, net		154	143
Broadcast rights		0	0
Income taxes receivable		0	0
Prepaid expenses		8,408	8,647
Other		5,182	12,487
Total current assets		821,955	709,145
Property, plant and equipment		53,699	58,622
Accumulated depreciation		(30,248)	(29,505)
Net properties		23,451	29,117
Investments in subsidiaries		10,558,297	10,378,948
Broadcast rights		0	0
Goodwill		0	0
Other intangible assets, net		0	0
Assets held for sale			0
Investments		850	850
Intercompany receivables		2,671,812	2,520,570
Other assets		67,209	65,743
Total other assets		2,739,871	2,587,163
Total Assets (1)		14,143,574	13,704,373
Accounts payable		24,331	24,529
Income taxes payable		0	0
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		0	0
Deferred revenue		0	0
Interest payable		14,412	30,525
DeferredSpectrumAuctionProceeds			0
Other		39,213	44,817
Total current liabilities		77,956	99,871
Long-term debt		2,920,882	2,919,185
Deferred income taxes		0	0
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		0	0
Intercompany payables		7,390,186	7,044,972
Other		409,453	423,209
Total non-current liabilities		10,720,521	10,387,366
Total Liabilities (1)		10,798,477	10,487,237
Common stock		102	101
Treasury stock		(632,194)	(632,194)
Additional paid-in-capital		4,012,052	4,011,530
Retained earnings (deficit)		4,706	(114,240)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(39,569)	(48,061)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		3,345,097	3,217,136
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Total shareholders’ equity		3,345,097	3,217,136
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		14,143,574	13,704,373
Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		1,133	1,501	1,381
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		0	0	0
Accounts receivable, net		382,140	418,950
Broadcast rights		90,456	126,668
Income taxes receivable		18,067	18,274
Prepaid expenses		13,110	11,245
Other		17,782	1,552
Total current assets		522,688	578,190
Property, plant and equipment		565,856	557,394
Accumulated depreciation		(205,909)	(196,644)
Net properties		359,947	360,750
Investments in subsidiaries		74,272	74,610
Broadcast rights		105,215	133,567
Goodwill		3,220,300	3,220,300
Other intangible assets, net		1,495,697	1,534,761
Assets held for sale			38,900
Investments		1,182,845	1,258,851
Intercompany receivables		6,897,014	6,527,083
Other assets		138,416	135,373
Total other assets		13,039,487	12,848,835
Total Assets (1)		13,996,394	13,862,385
Accounts payable		17,563	22,487
Income taxes payable		76,189	36,252
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		214,428	250,553
Deferred revenue		12,774	11,074
Interest payable		0	0
DeferredSpectrumAuctionProceeds			172,102
Other		37,801	57,063
Total current liabilities		358,755	549,531
Long-term debt		0	0
Deferred income taxes		524,485	485,608
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		252,879	300,269
Intercompany payables		2,297,350	2,148,695
Other		126,580	121,870
Total non-current liabilities		3,201,294	3,056,442
Total Liabilities (1)		3,560,049	3,605,973
Common stock		0	0
Treasury stock		0	0
Additional paid-in-capital		9,040,065	9,040,065
Retained earnings (deficit)		1,398,981	1,219,023
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(2,701)	(2,676)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		10,436,345	10,256,412
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Total shareholders’ equity		10,436,345	10,256,412
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		13,996,394	13,862,385
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		2,701	1,882	1,883
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		0	0	$ 0
Accounts receivable, net		826	1,002
Broadcast rights		1,225	2,506
Income taxes receivable		0	0
Prepaid expenses		278	266
Other		231	0
Total current assets		5,261	5,656
Property, plant and equipment		57,692	57,666
Accumulated depreciation		(7,520)	(7,238)
Net properties		50,172	50,428
Investments in subsidiaries		0	0
Broadcast rights		39	116
Goodwill		8,938	8,688
Other intangible assets, net		76,260	78,904
Assets held for sale			0
Investments		22,090	22,090
Intercompany receivables		390,779	411,059
Other assets		125	376
Total other assets		498,231	521,233
Total Assets (1)		553,664	577,317
Accounts payable		1,174	1,303
Income taxes payable		0	0
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		1,429	2,691
Deferred revenue		867	868
Interest payable		0	0
DeferredSpectrumAuctionProceeds			0
Other		0	3
Total current liabilities		3,470	4,865
Long-term debt		0	0
Deferred income taxes		56,988	85,043
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		62	151
Intercompany payables		272,069	265,045
Other		24,813	25,023
Total non-current liabilities		353,932	375,262
Total Liabilities (1)		357,402	380,127
Common stock		0	0
Treasury stock		0	0
Additional paid-in-capital		202,942	202,942
Retained earnings (deficit)		(7,898)	(6,516)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		1,180	720
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		196,224	197,146
Noncontrolling interests		38	44
Total shareholders’ equity		196,262	197,190
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		$ 553,664	$ 577,317

[1] (3)See Note 3 for information regarding assets held for sale.

[2] (1) The Company’s consolidated total assets as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 include total assets of variable interest entities (“VIEs”) of $77 million and $81 million, respectively, which can only be used to settle the obligations of the VIEs. The Company’s consolidated total liabilities as of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 include total liabilities of the VIEs of $27 million and $29 million, respectively, for which the creditors of the VIEs have no recourse to the Company (see Note 1).