SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES: (Details 2) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended								3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended			6 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Jun. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Jul. 31, 2014 Allbritton Subsequent Event station	Jul. 31, 2014 Cunningham Allbritton Subsequent Event	Jun. 30, 2014 Consolidation, Eliminations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Consolidation, Eliminations [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Consolidated VIEs, aggregated	Jun. 30, 2013 Consolidated VIEs, aggregated	Jun. 30, 2014 Consolidated VIEs, aggregated VIE	Jun. 30, 2013 Consolidated VIEs, aggregated VIE	Dec. 31, 2013 Consolidated VIEs, aggregated	Jun. 30, 2014 Consolidated VIEs, aggregated Minimum	Jun. 30, 2014 Consolidated VIEs, aggregated Cunningham station	Dec. 31, 2013 Consolidated VIEs, aggregated Cunningham station	Jun. 30, 2014 Consolidated VIEs Cunningham station	Jun. 30, 2013 Consolidated VIEs Cunningham	Jun. 30, 2014 Consolidated VIEs Cunningham station	Jun. 30, 2013 Consolidated VIEs Cunningham	Jul. 31, 2014 Consolidated VIEs Cunningham Allbritton Subsequent Event	Jun. 30, 2014 Consolidated VIEs Consolidation, Eliminations [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Consolidated VIEs Consolidation, Eliminations [Member]	Jun. 30, 2014 Consolidated VIEs Consolidation, Eliminations [Member] Cunningham	Dec. 31, 2013 Consolidated VIEs Consolidation, Eliminations [Member] Cunningham
Variable Interest Entities
Number of television stations owned							9											9	7		7
Price of assets acquired/sold								$ 14,000,000															$ 14,000,000
Gain or loss on sale of station																							0
Number of stations to which sales and other non-programming support services are provided																	3
Number of licensees as VIEs													19	12
Initial term of certain outsourcing agreements																5 years
Net revenues	404,151,000	279,270,000	778,032,000	532,195,000							43,100,000	30,800,000	81,800,000	63,300,000					28,700,000	26,500,000	56,400,000	51,200,000
CURRENT ASSETS:
Cash and cash equivalents	395,546,000	550,812,000	395,546,000	550,812,000	280,104,000	22,865,000					4,932,000		4,932,000		4,916,000
Accounts receivable	300,272,000		300,272,000		308,974,000						19,569,000		19,569,000		18,468,000
Current portion of program contract costs	35,085,000		35,085,000		74,324,000						5,164,000		5,164,000		10,725,000
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	25,186,000		25,186,000		30,599,000						443,000		443,000		247,000
Total current assets	763,005,000		763,005,000		697,871,000				(39,027,000)	(7,468,000)	30,108,000		30,108,000		34,356,000
PROGRAM CONTRACT COSTS, less current portion	17,630,000		17,630,000		24,708,000						4,830,000		4,830,000		5,075,000
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, net	636,112,000		636,112,000		596,071,000				(8,045,000)	(7,443,000)	14,376,000		14,376,000		11,081,000
GOODWILL	1,341,998,000		1,341,998,000		1,380,082,000						6,357,000		6,357,000		6,357,000
BROADCAST LICENSES	120,948,000		120,948,000		101,029,000						16,768,000		16,768,000		16,768,000
DEFINITE-LIVED INTANGIBLE ASSETS, net	1,081,518,000		1,081,518,000		1,127,755,000						97,297,000		97,297,000		97,496,000
OTHER ASSETS	208,321,000		208,321,000		208,209,000						23,370,000		23,370,000		22,935,000
Total assets	4,181,962,000	3,343,393,000	4,181,962,000	3,343,393,000	4,147,472,000				(3,464,995,000)	(3,527,513,000)	193,106,000		193,106,000		194,068,000
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
Accounts payable	9,751,000		9,751,000		13,989,000						44,000		44,000		86,000
Accrued liabilities	187,612,000		187,612,000		182,185,000						3,532,000		3,532,000		2,536,000
Current portion of notes payable, capital leases and commercial bank financing	56,034,000		56,034,000		46,346,000						5,731,000		5,731,000		5,731,000
Current portion of program contracts payable	50,493,000		50,493,000		90,933,000						4,364,000		4,364,000		11,552,000
Total current liabilities	336,684,000		336,684,000		343,381,000				(36,083,000)	(3,295,000)	13,671,000		13,671,000		19,905,000
LONG-TERM LIABILITIES:
Notes payable, capital leases and commercial bank financing, less current portion	3,038,768,000		3,038,768,000		2,966,402,000						46,960,000		46,960,000		49,850,000
Program contracts payable, less current portion	28,217,000		28,217,000		34,681,000						6,504,000		6,504,000		6,597,000
Long term liabilities											9,542,000		9,542,000		10,838,000
Total liabilities	3,811,789,000		3,811,789,000		3,741,768,000				(810,274,000)	(710,321,000)	76,677,000		76,677,000		87,190,000
Liabilities associated with the certain LMAs and outsourcing agreements and purchase options																								62,200,000	59,900,000
Total payments made under the LMA excluded from liabilities																										34,200,000	32,400,000
Total capital leased liabilities excluded from VIE consolidation																										$ 11,200,000	$ 11,200,000