COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Details) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Nov. 30, 2010	Dec. 31, 2011	Mar. 31, 2009	Dec. 31, 2011 Montana Dept. of Revenue Property Tax Assessment, 2010 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Montana Dept. of Revenue Property Tax Assessment, 2011 [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Compensation-related Claims [Member]	Apr. 15, 2011 Compensation-related Claims [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Purchase Obligations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Guarantee [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Guarantee [Member] CSC Holdings, LLC [Member] Newsday LLC [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Letters of Credit [Member]
Off balance sheet arrangements [Abstract]
Payments due, total		$ 4,868,645,000						$ 4,781,546,000	$ 26,151,000	$ 650,000,000	$ 60,948,000
Payments due, year 1		1,516,029,000						1,486,257,000	22,685,000		7,087,000
Payments due, years 2-3		1,733,849,000						1,728,672,000	3,466,000		1,711,000
Payments due, years 4-5		909,152,000						857,002,000	0		52,150,000
Payments due, more than 5 years		709,615,000						709,615,000	0		0
Obligations under senior secured credit facility		4,868,645,000						4,781,546,000	26,151,000	650,000,000	60,948,000
Maximum number of months after thirteenth anniversary of closing of Newsday acquisition Tribune Company can require CSC Holdings to purchase its interest (in months)		6M
DISH Network Contract Dispute [Abstract]
Equity interest EchoStar Media Holdings Corporation acquired in VOOM HD Holdings (in hundredths)		20.00%
Term EchoStar Satellite LLC agreed to distribute VOOM on DISH Network (in years)		15Y
Minimum annual spending requirement by VOOM HD per the EchoStar Satellite affiliation agreement		100,000,000
Minimum number of offered channels on VOOM HD per the EchoStar Satellite affiliation agreement		21
Maximum annual spending requirement by VOOM HD per the EchoStar Satellite affiliation agreement		500,000,000
Number of court rulings appealed by DISH Network	2
Tax Disputes [Abstract]
Proposed New York State Department of Taxation and Finance sales tax assessment			16,000,000
Percentage of VoIP revenue which sales tax is collected and remitted (in hundredths)		75.00%
Montana Property Tax Matter [Abstract]
Montana Department of Revenue property tax assessment on cable companies (in hundredths)		3.00%
Montana Department of Revenue property tax assessment on telephone companies (in hundredths)		6.00%
Property tax protest assessment				15,000,000	11,000,000
2011 property tax protest assessment to be paid and expensed		5,500,000			5,500,000
Other Legal Matters [Abstract]
Compensation-related claims sought							11,000,000
Provision for possible loss contingency		$ 0				$ 0