CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - Balance Sheets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Jul. 23, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Oct. 12, 2013	Oct. 11, 2013	Apr. 02, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Oct. 12, 2012
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Consolidated total debt		$ 3,854,400
Cash		149,972	$ 17,682		$ 280,104				$ 22,865
Accounts and other receivables		424,608	383,503
Other current assets		127,183	124,980
Total current assets		701,763	526,165
Property and equipment, net		717,137	752,538
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Other long-term assets		198,287	213,734
GOODWILL		1,931,093	1,964,553		1,380,082
BROADCAST LICENSES		132,465	135,075
DEFINITE-LIVED INTANGIBLE ASSETS, net		1,751,570	1,818,263
Total assets	[1]	5,432,315	5,410,328
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		251,313	260,848
Current portion of long-term debt		164,184	113,116
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		3,166	2,625
Other current liabilities		116,340	110,728
Total current liabilities		535,003	487,317
Long-term debt		3,669,160	3,754,822
Affiliate long-term debt		17,850	16,309
Other liabilities		710,624	746,537
Total liabilities		4,932,637	5,004,985
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group shareholders’ equity		525,810	427,882
Noncontrolling interests		(26,132)	(22,539)
Total liabilities and equity		5,432,315	5,410,328
Sinclair Television Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Amount of debt guaranteed by parent		3,730,000
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Amount of debt guaranteed by parent		3,678,200
Reportable legal entities | Sinclair Television Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash		115,771	3,394		237,974				7,230
Accounts and other receivables		1,775	164
Other current assets		5,172	12,996
Total current assets		122,718	16,554
Property and equipment, net		20,336	17,554
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		3,430,434	3,585,037
Other long-term assets		673,915	555,877
GOODWILL		0	0
BROADCAST LICENSES		0	0
DEFINITE-LIVED INTANGIBLE ASSETS, net		0	0
Total assets		4,247,403	4,175,022
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		49,428	46,083
Current portion of long-term debt		57,640	42,953
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		0	0
Other current liabilities		0	0
Total current liabilities		107,068	89,036
Long-term debt		3,594,218	3,638,286
Affiliate long-term debt		0	0
Other liabilities		28,866	28,856
Total liabilities		3,730,152	3,756,178
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group shareholders’ equity		517,251	418,844
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Total liabilities and equity		4,247,403	4,175,022
Reportable legal entities | Guarantor Subsidiaries and KDSM, LLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash		235	1,749		28,594				199
Accounts and other receivables		390,142	359,486
Other current assets		99,118	98,751
Total current assets		489,495	459,986
Property and equipment, net		559,042	569,372
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		4,179	3,978
Other long-term assets		110,507	134,454
GOODWILL		1,926,814	1,963,254
BROADCAST LICENSES		114,841	118,115
DEFINITE-LIVED INTANGIBLE ASSETS, net		1,602,454	1,698,919
Total assets		4,807,332	4,948,078
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		179,156	201,102
Current portion of long-term debt		1,611	1,302
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		1,311	1,182
Other current liabilities		103,627	100,979
Total current liabilities		285,705	304,565
Long-term debt		32,743	34,338
Affiliate long-term debt		14,240	12,802
Other liabilities		1,060,211	1,010,101
Total liabilities		1,392,899	1,361,806
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group shareholders’ equity		3,414,433	3,586,272
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Total liabilities and equity		4,807,332	4,948,078
Reportable legal entities | Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash		0	0		0				0
Accounts and other receivables		0	0
Other current assets		3,648	5,741
Total current assets		3,648	5,741
Property and equipment, net		2,884	3,949
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		497,262	395,225
Other long-term assets		52,128	65,988
GOODWILL		0	0
BROADCAST LICENSES		0	0
DEFINITE-LIVED INTANGIBLE ASSETS, net		0	0
Total assets		555,922	470,903
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		104	541
Current portion of long-term debt		0	529
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		1,651	1,464
Other current liabilities		0	0
Total current liabilities		1,755	2,534
Long-term debt		0	0
Affiliate long-term debt		1,857	3,508
Other liabilities		26,500	36,979
Total liabilities		30,112	43,021
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group shareholders’ equity		525,810	427,882
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Total liabilities and equity		555,922	470,903
Reportable legal entities | Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash		33,966	12,539		13,536				15,436
Accounts and other receivables		33,949	25,111
Other current assets		23,278	19,225
Total current assets		91,193	56,875
Property and equipment, net		143,667	168,762
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		0	0
Other long-term assets		140,910	128,247
GOODWILL		4,279	1,299
BROADCAST LICENSES		17,624	16,960
DEFINITE-LIVED INTANGIBLE ASSETS, net		206,975	184,441
Total assets		604,648	556,584
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		27,462	26,802
Current portion of long-term debt		106,358	68,332
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		456	1,026
Other current liabilities		12,713	9,749
Total current liabilities		146,989	105,909
Long-term debt		42,199	82,198
Affiliate long-term debt		366,042	319,901
Other liabilities		171,102	169,935
Total liabilities		726,332	677,943
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group shareholders’ equity		(91,703)	(94,632)
Noncontrolling interests		(29,981)	(26,727)
Total liabilities and equity		604,648	556,584
Eliminations
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash		0	0		$ 0				$ 0
Accounts and other receivables		(1,258)	(1,258)
Other current assets		(4,033)	(11,733)
Total current assets		(5,291)	(12,991)
Property and equipment, net		(8,792)	(7,099)
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries		(3,931,875)	(3,984,240)
Other long-term assets		(779,173)	(670,832)
GOODWILL		0	0
BROADCAST LICENSES		0	0
DEFINITE-LIVED INTANGIBLE ASSETS, net		(57,859)	(65,097)
Total assets		(4,782,990)	(4,740,259)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		(4,837)	(13,680)
Current portion of long-term debt		(1,425)	0
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt		(252)	$ (1,047)
Other current liabilities		0
Total current liabilities		(6,514)	$ (14,727)
Long-term debt		0	0
Affiliate long-term debt		(364,289)	(319,902)
Other liabilities		(576,055)	(499,334)
Total liabilities		(946,858)	(833,963)
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group shareholders’ equity		(3,839,981)	(3,910,484)
Noncontrolling interests		3,849	4,188
Total liabilities and equity		$ (4,782,990)	$ (4,740,259)
5.375% Senior Unsecured Notes, due 2021
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)		5.375%	5.375%					5.375%
5.375% Senior Unsecured Notes, due 2021 | Sinclair Television Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)		5.375%
5.375% Senior Unsecured Notes, due 2021 | Guarantor Subsidiaries and KDSM, LLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)		5.375%
5.625% Senior Notes, due
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)			5.625%
5.625% Senior Notes, due | Sinclair Television Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)		5.625%
6.125% Senior Unsecured Notes, due 2022
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)		6.125%	6.125%			6.125%				6.125%
6.125% Senior Unsecured Notes, due 2022 | Sinclair Television Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)		6.125%
6.125% Senior Unsecured Notes, due 2022 | Guarantor Subsidiaries and KDSM, LLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)		6.125%
6.375% Senior Notes, due 2021
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)		6.375%	6.375%				6.375%
6.375% Senior Notes, due 2021 | Sinclair Television Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)		6.375%
6.375% Senior Notes, due 2021 | Guarantor Subsidiaries and KDSM, LLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)		6.375%
5.625% Senior Unsecured Notes, due 2024
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)		5.625%		5.625%
5.625% Senior Unsecured Notes, due 2024 | Guarantor Subsidiaries and KDSM, LLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)		5.625%

[1] (a) Our consolidated total assets as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 include total assets of variable interest entities (VIEs) of $152.4 million and $163.3 million, respectively, which can only be used to settle the obligations of the VIEs. Our consolidated total liabilities as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 include total liabilities of the VIEs of $35.6 million and $30.0 million, respectively, for which the creditors of the VIEs have no recourse to us. See Note 1. Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.