Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012	May 02, 2012 LIN Television Corporation	May 02, 2012 Class A common stock	May 02, 2012 Class B common stock	May 02, 2012 Class C common stock
Entity Registrant Name	LIN TV CORP.
Entity Central Index Key	0001166789
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2012
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		1,000	32,507,339	23,401,726	2
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1