Condensed Consolidating Financial Information Balance Sheets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		$ 828,850	$ 673,685	$ 380,567
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		16,607	17,566	17,566	$ 17,566
Accounts receivable, net		405,952	420,095
Broadcast rights		81,907	129,174
Income taxes receivable		17,916	18,274
Prepaid expenses		29,268	20,158
Other		21,754	14,039
Total current assets		1,402,254	1,292,991
Property, plant and equipment		653,426	673,682
Accumulated depreciation		(249,787)	(233,387)
Net properties		403,639	440,295
Investments in subsidiaries		0	0
Broadcast rights		98,133	133,683
Goodwill		3,228,774	3,228,988
Other intangible assets, net		1,529,698	1,613,665
Assets held for sale	[1]	28,955	38,900
Investments		1,213,240	1,281,791
Intercompany receivables		0	0
Other assets		154,625	139,015
Total other assets		6,253,425	6,436,042
Total Assets (1)	[2]	8,059,318	8,169,328
Accounts payable		46,526	48,319
Income taxes payable		43,155	36,252
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		210,140	253,244
Deferred revenue		14,739	11,942
Interest payable		30,339	30,525
Deferred spectrum auction proceeds		0	172,102
Other		87,754	101,883
Total current liabilities		432,653	654,267
Long-term debt		2,922,600	2,919,185
Deferred income taxes		528,150	508,174
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		232,093	300,420
Intercompany payables		0	0
Other		532,440	570,102
Total non-current liabilities		4,215,283	4,297,881
Total Liabilities (1)	[2]	4,647,936	4,952,148
Common stock		102	101
Treasury stock		(632,194)	(632,194)
Additional paid-in-capital		4,017,522	4,011,530
Retained earnings (deficit)		66,920	(114,240)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(41,000)	(48,061)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		3,411,350	3,217,136
Noncontrolling interests		32	44
Total shareholders’ equity		3,411,382	3,217,180
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		8,059,318	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		(10,749,098)	(10,453,558)
Broadcast rights		0	0
Goodwill		0	0
Other intangible assets, net		0	0
Assets held for sale		0	0
Investments		0	0
Intercompany receivables		(10,278,040)	(9,458,712)
Other assets		(52,182)	(62,477)
Total other assets		(10,330,222)	(9,521,189)
Total Assets (1)		(21,079,320)	(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
Deferred spectrum auction proceeds			0
Other		0	0
Total current liabilities		0	0
Long-term debt		0	0
Deferred income taxes		(52,182)	(62,477)
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		0	0
Intercompany payables		(10,278,040)	(9,458,712)
Other		0	0
Total non-current liabilities		(10,330,222)	(9,521,189)
Total Liabilities (1)		(10,330,222)	(9,521,189)
Common stock		0	0
Treasury stock		0	0
Additional paid-in-capital		(9,243,007)	(9,243,007)
Retained earnings (deficit)		(1,508,315)	(1,212,507)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		2,224	1,956
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		(10,749,098)	(10,453,558)
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Total shareholders’ equity		(10,749,098)	(10,453,558)
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		(21,079,320)	(19,974,747)
Parent (Tribune Media Company) | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		824,532	670,302	377,576
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		16,607	17,566	17,566
Accounts receivable, net		263	143
Broadcast rights		0	0
Income taxes receivable		0	0
Prepaid expenses		11,563	8,647
Other		5,306	12,487
Total current assets		858,271	709,145
Property, plant and equipment		49,205	58,622
Accumulated depreciation		(30,092)	(29,505)
Net properties		19,113	29,117
Investments in subsidiaries		10,675,024	10,378,948
Broadcast rights		0	0
Goodwill		0	0
Other intangible assets, net		0	0
Assets held for sale		0	0
Investments		850	850
Intercompany receivables		2,780,430	2,520,570
Other assets		68,906	65,743
Total other assets		2,850,186	2,587,163
Total Assets (1)		14,402,594	13,704,373
Accounts payable		24,412	24,529
Income taxes payable		0	0
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		0	0
Deferred revenue		0	0
Interest payable		30,339	30,525
Deferred spectrum auction proceeds			0
Other		34,926	44,817
Total current liabilities		89,677	99,871
Long-term debt		2,922,600	2,919,185
Deferred income taxes		0	0
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		0	0
Intercompany payables		7,596,221	7,044,972
Other		382,746	423,209
Total non-current liabilities		10,901,567	10,387,366
Total Liabilities (1)		10,991,244	10,487,237
Common stock		102	101
Treasury stock		(632,194)	(632,194)
Additional paid-in-capital		4,017,522	4,011,530
Retained earnings (deficit)		66,920	(114,240)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(41,000)	(48,061)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		3,411,350	3,217,136
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Total shareholders’ equity		3,411,350	3,217,136
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		14,402,594	13,704,373
Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		1,430	1,501	906
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		0	0	0
Accounts receivable, net		404,915	418,950
Broadcast rights		81,354	126,668
Income taxes receivable		17,916	18,274
Prepaid expenses		17,415	11,245
Other		16,448	1,552
Total current assets		539,478	578,190
Property, plant and equipment		546,485	557,394
Accumulated depreciation		(212,070)	(196,644)
Net properties		334,415	360,750
Investments in subsidiaries		74,074	74,610
Broadcast rights		98,106	133,567
Goodwill		3,220,300	3,220,300
Other intangible assets, net		1,456,633	1,534,761
Assets held for sale		28,955	38,900
Investments		1,191,913	1,258,851
Intercompany receivables		7,101,181	6,527,083
Other assets		137,869	135,373
Total other assets		13,234,957	12,848,835
Total Assets (1)		14,182,924	13,862,385
Accounts payable		20,985	22,487
Income taxes payable		43,155	36,252
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		209,353	250,553
Deferred revenue		13,846	11,074
Interest payable		0	0
Deferred spectrum auction proceeds			172,102
Other		52,587	57,063
Total current liabilities		339,926	549,531
Long-term debt		0	0
Deferred income taxes		525,345	485,608
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		232,060	300,269
Intercompany payables		2,405,617	2,148,695
Other		125,097	121,870
Total non-current liabilities		3,288,119	3,056,442
Total Liabilities (1)		3,628,045	3,605,973
Common stock		0	0
Treasury stock		0	0
Additional paid-in-capital		9,040,065	9,040,065
Retained earnings (deficit)		1,517,323	1,219,023
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		(2,509)	(2,676)
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		10,554,879	10,256,412
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Total shareholders’ equity		10,554,879	10,256,412
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		14,182,924	13,862,385
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries | Reportable Legal Entities
Condensed Balance Sheet Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Cash and cash equivalents		2,888	1,882	2,085
Restricted cash and cash equivalents		0	0	$ 0
Accounts receivable, net		774	1,002
Broadcast rights		553	2,506
Income taxes receivable		0	0
Prepaid expenses		290	266
Other		0	0
Total current assets		4,505	5,656
Property, plant and equipment		57,736	57,666
Accumulated depreciation		(7,625)	(7,238)
Net properties		50,111	50,428
Investments in subsidiaries		0	0
Broadcast rights		27	116
Goodwill		8,474	8,688
Other intangible assets, net		73,065	78,904
Assets held for sale		0	0
Investments		20,477	22,090
Intercompany receivables		396,429	411,059
Other assets		32	376
Total other assets		498,504	521,233
Total Assets (1)		553,120	577,317
Accounts payable		1,129	1,303
Income taxes payable		0	0
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		787	2,691
Deferred revenue		893	868
Interest payable		0	0
Deferred spectrum auction proceeds			0
Other		241	3
Total current liabilities		3,050	4,865
Long-term debt		0	0
Deferred income taxes		54,987	85,043
Contracts payable for broadcast rights		33	151
Intercompany payables		276,202	265,045
Other		24,597	25,023
Total non-current liabilities		355,819	375,262
Total Liabilities (1)		358,869	380,127
Common stock		0	0
Treasury stock		0	0
Additional paid-in-capital		202,942	202,942
Retained earnings (deficit)		(9,008)	(6,516)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income		285	720
Total Tribune Media Company shareholders’ equity		194,219	197,146
Noncontrolling interests		32	44
Total shareholders’ equity		194,251	197,190
Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity		$ 553,120	$ 577,317

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

[2] (1) The Company’s consolidated total assets as of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 include total assets of variable interest entities (“VIEs”) of $74 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 June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 include total liabilities of the VIEs of $26 million and $29 million, respectively, for which the creditors of the VIEs have no recourse to the Company (see Note 1).