In your woebegone Wednesday media column: the WSJ takes on the NYT's culture section in a total death match, TV networks not upset they lost $23 in ad money covering MJ, more Hobo New York Times coverage, and newspapers burn.

The Wall Street Journal is developing a culture section focused on New York City—which could be rolled out next year—in accordance with Rupert Murdoch's belief that the New York Times' culture coverage is "lightweight." New, more literal 'Culture Wars!' tag here, TK.

Sure, the Michael Jackson memorial was a huge media clusterfuck covered live on every network. But it also meant two hours of ad-free time for them in the middle of the day! Not to worry: "representatives from the TV outlets that covered the event said the loss of two hours of daytime inventory was a decidedly minor concern." The average network would have only sold three ad during that time anyhow, all of them for Snuggies.

And in a continuation of the 'Hobo New York Times' meme we just made up this week, but which is also very real: wunderkind NYT deal reporter Andrew Ross Sorkin is not in attendance at the Sun Valley media mogulfest meeting this year. Usually he's there blogging up a storm. Sorkin told Peter Kafka that he's too busy finishing his book to go out there, but an alternate theory espoused by us is that he's been forced to take a second job handing out fliers, because of Hobo New York Times.

Today in sunny newspaper industry news: 18 layoffs at the Albany Times-Union, ill-fated newspaper magazine-insert 'RiseUp' is more than $6 million in debt, and execs of the bankrupt Journal Register Co. will get more than $1 million in bonuses for pulling the company out of bankruptcy by laying people off, and other fun things.