CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Consolidated total debt	$ 3,911,000,000
Cash	57,843,000	17,682,000	317,811,000	280,104,000
Accounts and other receivables	368,696,000	383,503,000
Other current assets	107,238,000	118,476,000
Assets held for sale		6,504,000
Total current assets	533,777,000	526,165,000
Property and equipment, net	742,397,000	752,538,000
Assets held for sale	1,843,000	8,817,000
Other long-term assets	237,105,000	246,761,000
Total other long-term assets	237,105,000	255,578,000
Goodwill and other intangible assets	3,904,200,000	3,917,891,000
Total assets	5,417,479,000	5,452,172,000
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	245,055,000	258,371,000
Current portion of long-term debt	58,826,000	113,116,000
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt	2,778,000	2,625,000
Other current liabilities	124,520,000	117,417,000
Liabilities held for sale		2,477,000
Total current liabilities	431,179,000	494,006,000
Long-term debt	3,831,823,000	3,796,666,000
Affiliate long-term debt	17,605,000	16,309,000
Other liabilities	724,432,000	739,848,000
Total liabilities	5,005,039,000	5,046,829,000
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group shareholders' equity	437,244,000	427,882,000
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries	(24,804,000)	(22,539,000)
Total liabilities and equity	5,417,479,000	5,452,172,000
5.375% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)	5.375%	5.375%
6.125% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2022
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)	6.125%	6.125%
6.375% Senior Notes due 2021
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)	6.375%	6.375%
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Amount of debt guaranteed by parent	3,727,900,000
Sinclair Television Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Amount of debt guaranteed by parent	3,779,000,000
Sinclair Television Group, Inc. | 5.375% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)	5.375%
Sinclair Television Group, Inc. | 5.625% Senior Unsecured Notes, due 2024
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)	5.625%
Sinclair Television Group, Inc. | 6.125% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2022
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)	6.125%
Sinclair Television Group, Inc. | 6.375% Senior Notes due 2021
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)	6.375%
Guarantor Subsidiaries and KDSM, LLC | 5.375% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2021
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)	5.375%
Guarantor Subsidiaries and KDSM, LLC | 5.625% Senior Unsecured Notes, due 2024
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)	5.625%
Guarantor Subsidiaries and KDSM, LLC | 6.125% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2022
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)	6.125%
Guarantor Subsidiaries and KDSM, LLC | 6.375% Senior Notes due 2021
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Interest rate (as a percent)	6.375%
Reportable legal entities | Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Other current assets	1,627,000	5,741,000
Total current assets	1,627,000	5,741,000
Property and equipment, net	3,683,000	3,949,000
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	412,044,000	395,225,000
Other long-term assets	63,286,000	65,988,000
Total other long-term assets	475,330,000	461,213,000
Total assets	480,640,000	470,903,000
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	1,812,000	541,000
Current portion of long-term debt	375,000	529,000
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt	1,509,000	1,464,000
Other current liabilities	3,026,000	1,208,000
Total current liabilities	6,722,000	3,742,000
Affiliate long-term debt	3,109,000	3,508,000
Other liabilities	33,565,000	35,771,000
Total liabilities	43,396,000	43,021,000
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group shareholders' equity	437,244,000	427,882,000
Total liabilities and equity	480,640,000	470,903,000
Reportable legal entities | Sinclair Television Group, Inc.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash	35,551,000	3,394,000	299,883,000	237,974,000
Accounts and other receivables		164,000
Other current assets	16,261,000	12,996,000
Total current assets	51,812,000	16,554,000
Property and equipment, net	19,618,000	17,554,000
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	3,519,449,000	3,585,037,000
Other long-term assets	628,279,000	595,112,000
Total other long-term assets	4,147,728,000	4,180,149,000
Goodwill and other intangible assets		1,483,000
Total assets	4,219,158,000	4,215,740,000
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	57,224,000	46,083,000
Current portion of long-term debt	46,250,000	42,953,000
Total current liabilities	103,474,000	89,036,000
Long-term debt	3,652,382,000	3,679,004,000
Other liabilities	28,261,000	28,856,000
Total liabilities	3,784,117,000	3,796,896,000
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group shareholders' equity	435,041,000	418,844,000
Total liabilities and equity	4,219,158,000	4,215,740,000
Reportable legal entities | Guarantor Subsidiaries and KDSM, LLC
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash	936,000	1,749,000	394,000	28,594,000
Accounts and other receivables	341,056,000	359,486,000
Other current assets	86,304,000	98,751,000
Total current assets	428,296,000	459,986,000
Property and equipment, net	554,338,000	569,372,000
Assets held for sale		1,843,000
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	4,129,000	3,978,000
Other long-term assets	82,312,000	90,914,000
Total other long-term assets	86,441,000	96,735,000
Goodwill and other intangible assets	3,800,607,000	3,821,985,000
Total assets	4,869,682,000	4,948,078,000
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	178,665,000	201,102,000
Current portion of long-term debt	1,371,000	1,302,000
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt	1,086,000	1,182,000
Other current liabilities	113,656,000	107,867,000
Total current liabilities	294,778,000	311,453,000
Long-term debt	33,971,000	34,338,000
Affiliate long-term debt	12,587,000	12,802,000
Other liabilities	1,007,725,000	1,003,213,000
Total liabilities	1,349,061,000	1,361,806,000
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group shareholders' equity	3,520,621,000	3,586,272,000
Total liabilities and equity	4,869,682,000	4,948,078,000
Reportable legal entities | Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Cash	21,356,000	12,539,000	17,534,000	13,536,000
Accounts and other receivables	28,861,000	25,111,000
Other current assets	21,758,000	12,721,000
Assets held for sale		6,504,000
Total current assets	71,975,000	56,875,000
Property and equipment, net	172,105,000	168,762,000
Assets held for sale		6,974,000
Other long-term assets	115,725,000	115,375,000
Total other long-term assets	115,725,000	122,349,000
Goodwill and other intangible assets	217,368,000	209,724,000
Total assets	577,173,000	557,710,000
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	28,595,000	24,325,000
Current portion of long-term debt	10,830,000	68,332,000
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt	1,402,000	1,026,000
Other current liabilities	9,323,000	9,749,000
Liabilities held for sale		2,477,000
Total current liabilities	50,150,000	105,909,000
Long-term debt	145,470,000	83,324,000
Affiliate long-term debt	334,367,000	319,901,000
Other liabilities	170,858,000	169,935,000
Total liabilities	700,845,000	679,069,000
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group shareholders' equity	(94,620,000)	(94,632,000)
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries	(29,052,000)	(26,727,000)
Total liabilities and equity	577,173,000	557,710,000
Eliminations
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
Accounts and other receivables	(1,221,000)	(1,258,000)
Other current assets	(18,712,000)	(11,733,000)
Total current assets	(19,933,000)	(12,991,000)
Property and equipment, net	(7,347,000)	(7,099,000)
Investment in consolidated subsidiaries	(3,935,622,000)	(3,984,240,000)
Other long-term assets	(652,497,000)	(620,628,000)
Total other long-term assets	(4,588,119,000)	(4,604,868,000)
Goodwill and other intangible assets	(113,775,000)	(115,301,000)
Total assets	(4,729,174,000)	(4,740,259,000)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	(21,241,000)	(13,680,000)
Current portion of affiliate long-term debt	(1,219,000)	(1,047,000)
Other current liabilities	(1,485,000)	(1,407,000)
Total current liabilities	(23,945,000)	(16,134,000)
Affiliate long-term debt	(332,458,000)	(319,902,000)
Other liabilities	(515,977,000)	(497,927,000)
Total liabilities	(872,380,000)	(833,963,000)
Total Sinclair Broadcast Group shareholders' equity	(3,861,042,000)	(3,910,484,000)
Noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries	4,248,000	4,188,000
Total liabilities and equity	$ (4,729,174,000)	$ (4,740,259,000)