Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	Nov. 30, 2018
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Preparation of Interim Financial Statements	Preparation of Interim Financial Statements Pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), the condensed consolidated interim financial statements included herein have been prepared, without audit, by Emmis Communications Corporation (“ECC”) and its subsidiaries (collectively, “our,” “us,” “we,” “Emmis” or the “Company”). As permitted under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC, certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations; however, Emmis believes that the disclosures are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. The condensed consolidated financial statements included herein should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the Annual Report for Emmis filed on Form 10-K for the year ended February 28, 2018. The Company’s results are subject to seasonal fluctuations. Therefore, results shown on an interim basis are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year. In the opinion of Emmis, the accompanying condensed consolidated interim financial statements contain all material adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, except as otherwise noted) necessary to present fairly the consolidated financial position of Emmis at November 30, 2018, the results of its operations for the three-month and nine-month periods ended November 30, 2017 and 2018, and cash flows for the nine-month periods ended November 30, 2017 and 2018. There have been no changes to our significant accounting policies described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2018 that have had a material impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes.
Basic and Diluted Net (Loss) Income Per Common Share	Basic and Diluted Net Income (Loss) Per Common Share Basic net income (loss) per common share is computed by dividing net income attributable to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net income (loss) per common share reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted. Potentially dilutive securities at November 30, 2017 and 2018 consisted of stock options and restricted stock awards.
Local Programming and Marketing Agreement Fees	Local Programming and Marketing Agreement Fees The Company from time to time enters into local programming and marketing agreements (“LMAs”), often pending regulatory approval of transfer of the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") licenses in connection with acquisitions or dispositions of radio stations. Under the terms of these agreements, the acquiring company makes specified periodic payments to the holder of the FCC license in exchange for the right to program and sell advertising for a specified portion of the station’s inventory of broadcast time. The acquiring company records revenues and expenses associated with the portion of the station’s inventory of broadcast time it manages. Nevertheless, as the holder of the FCC license, the owner-operator retains control and responsibility for the operation of the station, including responsibility over all programming broadcast on the station. On April 30, 2018, Emmis closed on the sale of substantially all of its radio station assets in St. Louis. The St. Louis stations were operated pursuant to LMAs from March 1, 2018 through April 30, 2018. The buyers of the stations paid LMA fees totaling $0.7 million during the period, which was recognized as a component of net revenues in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations for the nine-month period ending November 30, 2018. On April 26, 2012, Emmis entered into an LMA with a subsidiary of Disney Enterprises, Inc. for 98.7FM in New York (formerly WRKS-FM and now WEPN-FM, hereinafter referred to as “98.7FM”). The LMA for this station started on April 30, 2012 and will continue until August 31, 2024. Emmis retains ownership and control of the station, including the related FCC license during the term of the LMA and is scheduled to receive an annual fee until the LMA’s termination. LMA fee revenue is recorded on a straight-line basis over the term of the LMA as a component of net revenues in our accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations.
Restricted Cash	Restricted Cash The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash reported within the condensed consolidated balance sheets to the same amounts shown in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.
Valuation of Indefinite-lived Broadcasting Licenses	Valuation of Indefinite-lived Broadcasting Licenses In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 350, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other, the Company’s FCC licenses are considered indefinite-lived intangibles. These assets, which the Company determined were its only indefinite-lived intangibles, are not subject to amortization, but are tested for impairment at least annually as discussed below. Excluding amounts classified as held for sale as of February 28, 2018, the carrying amounts of the Company’s FCC licenses were $170.9 million as of February 28, 2018 and November 30, 2018. Pursuant to Emmis’ accounting policy, stations in a geographic market cluster are considered a single unit of accounting, provided that they are not being operated under an LMA with another broadcaster. The Company generally performs its annual impairment test of indefinite-lived intangibles as of December 1 of each year. When indicators of impairment are present, the Company will perform an interim impairment test. During the nine months ended November 30, 2018, no new or additional impairment indicators emerged; hence, no interim impairment testing was warranted. These impairment tests may result in additional impairment charges in future periods. Fair value of our FCC licenses is estimated to be the price that would be received to sell an asset in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. To determine the fair value of our FCC licenses, the Company uses an income valuation method when it performs its impairment tests. Under this method, the Company projects cash flows that would be generated by each of its units of accounting assuming the unit of accounting was commencing operations in its respective market at the beginning of the valuation period. This cash flow stream is discounted to arrive at a value for the FCC license. The Company assumes the competitive situation that exists in each market remains unchanged, with the exception that its unit of accounting commenced operations at the beginning of the valuation period. In doing so, the Company extracts the value of going concern and any other assets acquired, and strictly values the FCC license. Major assumptions involved in this analysis include market revenue, market revenue growth rates, unit of accounting audience share, unit of accounting revenue share and discount rate. Each of these assumptions may change in the future based upon changes in general economic conditions, audience behavior, consummated transactions, and numerous other variables that may be beyond our control. When evaluating our radio broadcasting licenses for impairment, the testing is performed at the unit of accounting level as determined by ASC Topic 350-30-35. In our case, radio stations in a geographic market cluster are considered a single unit of accounting, provided that they are not being operated under an LMA.
Valuation of Goodwill	Valuation of Goodwill The carrying amounts of the Company's goodwill, all of which were attributable to our radio division, were $4.3 million as of February 28, 2018 and November 30, 2018. ASC Topic 350-20-35 requires the Company to test goodwill for impairment at least annually. The Company conducts its impairment test on December 1 of each fiscal year, unless indications of impairment exist during an interim period. When assessing its goodwill for impairment, the Company generally uses an enterprise valuation approach to determine the fair value of each of the Company’s reporting units, with radio stations grouped by market. Management determines enterprise value for each of its reporting units by multiplying the two-year average station operating income generated by each reporting unit (current year based on actual results and the next year based on budgeted results) by an estimated market multiple. The Company uses a blended station operating income trading multiple of publicly traded radio operators as a benchmark for the multiple it applies to its radio reporting units. Management believes this methodology for valuing radio properties is a common approach and believes that the multiples used in the valuation are reasonable given our peer comparisons and recent market transactions. To corroborate the fair values determined using the market approach described above, management also uses an income approach, which is a discounted cash flow method to determine the fair value of the reporting unit. If the carrying value of a reporting unit's goodwill exceeds its fair value, the Company recognizes an impairment charge equal to the difference in the statement of operations.
Definite-lived intangibles	In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification paragraph 360-10, the Company performs an analysis to (i) determine if indicators of impairment of a long-lived asset are present, (ii) test the long-lived asset for recoverability by comparing undiscounted cash flows of the long-lived asset to its carrying value and (iii) measure any potential impairment by comparing the long-lived asset's fair value to its current carrying value.
Fair Value Measurements and Disclosure	Non-Recurring Fair Value Measurements The Company has certain assets that are measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis under circumstances and events that include those described in Note 3, Intangible Assets and Goodwill, and are adjusted to fair value only when the carrying values are more than the fair values. The categorization of the framework used to price the assets is considered a Level 3 measurement due to the subjective nature of the unobservable inputs used to determine the fair value (see Note 3 for more discussion). Fair Value of Other Financial Instruments Certain nonfinancial assets and liabilities are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis and are subject to fair value adjustments in certain circumstances, such as when there is evidence of impairment. Assets and liabilities acquired in business combinations are recorded at their fair value as of the date of acquisition. The estimated fair value of financial instruments is determined using the best available market information and appropriate valuation methodologies. Considerable judgment is necessary, however, in interpreting market data to develop the estimates of fair value. Accordingly, the estimates presented are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that the Company could realize in a current market exchange, or the value that ultimately will be realized upon maturity or disposition. The use of different market assumptions may have a material effect on the estimated fair value amounts. The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of financial instruments: - Cash and cash equivalents: The carrying amount of these assets approximates fair value because of the short maturity of these instruments. - 2014 Credit Agreement debt: As of November 30, 2018, the fair value and carrying value, excluding original issue discount, of the Company's 2014 Credit Agreement debt was $27.7 million and $28.0 million, respectively. The Company's estimate of fair value was based on non-exchange quoted prices of this instrument and is considered a Level 2 measurement. - Other long-term debt: The Company’s 98.7FM non-recourse debt and other non-recourse debt is not actively traded and is considered a Level 3 measurement. The Company believes the current carrying value of its other long-term debt approximates its fair value. As defined in ASC Topic 820, fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (exit price). The Company utilizes market data or assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk and the risks inherent in the inputs to the valuation technique. These inputs can be readily observable, market corroborated or generally unobservable. The Company utilizes valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. ASC Topic 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurement) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurement). Recurring Fair Value Measurements The following table sets forth by level within the fair value hierarchy the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of February 28, 2018 and November 30, 2018. The financial assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement requires judgment and may affect the valuation of fair value assets and liabilities and their placement within the fair value hierarchy levels. Available for sale securities — Emmis’ available for sale securities are comprised of preferred stock of a private company that is not traded in active markets and is included in other assets, net in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets. The investment is recorded at fair value, which was generally estimated using significant unobservable market parameters, resulting in a Level 3 categorization. The carrying value of our preferred stock investment was determined by using implied valuations of recent rounds of financing and by other corroborating evidence, which may include the application of various valuation methodologies including option-pricing and discounted cash flow based models.
New Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements In January 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business. This ASU was issued to clarify the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. The Company adopted this guidance on March 1, 2018 with no material impact on its consolidated financial statements. In November 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash. This ASU requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. Therefore, amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted this guidance on March 1, 2018 with no material impact on its consolidated financial statements. In August 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. This ASU was issued to reduce diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted this guidance on March 1, 2018 with no material impact on its consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). This update requires lessees to recognize, on the balance sheet, assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by leases of greater than twelve months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the statement of operations. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements, but believes that the implementation will result in an increase in assets and liabilities associated with operating leases. However, the Company does not believe the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated statement of operations. This guidance will be effective for the Company as of March 1, 2019 and the Company plans to adopt this guidance on that date. The Company plans to elect the available practical expedients as described in Accounting Standards Update 2016-02 upon adoption. Successful implementation of the new accounting guidance for leases is dependent on a number of factors, including the completion of the Company's analysis of its lease portfolio. The Company believes it is on schedule to implement this guidance by the required date. In July 2018, the accounting guidance was further modified to provide for an additional transition method which allows entities to: (i) apply the new lease requirements at the effective date and recognize a cumulative effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption; (ii) continue to report comparative periods presented in the financial statements in the period of adoption under current U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP); and (iii) provide the required disclosures under current U.S. GAAP for all periods presented under current U.S. GAAP. The Company plans to adopt the amended accounting guidance using this transition method. In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), to clarify the principles used to recognize revenue for all entities. The FASB deferred implementation of this guidance by one year with the issuance of Accounting Standards Update 2015-14. The Company adopted the new guidance on March 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective method, with no impact on its consolidated financial statements. The cumulative effect of initially applying the new guidance had no impact on the opening balance of retained earnings as of March 1, 2018. The comparative information has not been restated and continues to be reported under the accounting guidance in effect for that period. The Company does not expect the new guidance will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements in future periods. See Note 7 for more discussion.
Revenue Recognition	The Company generates revenue from the sale of services and products including, but not limited to: (i) on-air commercial broadcast time, (ii) magazine-related display advertising, (iii) magazine circulation and newsstand revenues, (iv) non-traditional revenues including event-related revenues and event sponsorship revenues, (v) revenues generated from LMAs and (vi) digital advertising. Payments received from advertisers before the performance obligation is satisfied are recorded as deferred revenue. Substantially all deferred revenue is recognized within twelve months of the payment date. We do not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts with an original expected length of one year or less. Advertising On-air broadcast revenue and magazine display revenue are recognized when or as performance obligations under the terms of a contract with a customer are satisfied. This typically occurs over the period of time that advertisements are provided, or as an event occurs. Revenues are reported at the amount the Company expects to be entitled to receive under the contract. Payments received by advertisers before the performance obligation is satisfied are recorded as deferred revenue in the condensed consolidated balance sheet. Substantially all deferred revenue is recognized within twelve months of the payment date. Circulation Circulation revenue includes revenues for Indianapolis Monthly purchased by readers or distributors. Single copy newsstand sales are recognized when the monthly magazine is distributed, net of provisions for related returns. Circulation revenues from digital and home delivery subscriptions are recognized over the subscription period as the performance obligations are delivered. Nontraditional Nontraditional revenues principally consist of ticket sales and sponsorship of events our stations and magazine conduct in their local markets. These revenues are recognized when our performance obligations are fulfilled, which generally coincides with the occurrence of the related event. LMA Fees LMA fee revenue relates to fees that the Company collects from third parties in exchange for the right to program and sell advertising for a specified portion of a radio station's inventory of broadcast time. These revenues are generally recognized ratably over the duration that the third party programs the radio station. Digital Digital revenue relates to revenue generated from the sale of digital marketing services (including display advertisements and video sponsorships) to advertisers. Digital revenues are generally recognized as the digital advertising is delivered.