Starting Thursday, Birmingham’s public radio newsroom will stop saying Gulf of Mexico. University of Alabama at Birmingham-licensed 90.3 WBHM says a new Alabama law requiring state employees to use Gulf of America extends to its journalists, a mandate its departing general manager warns threatens the station’s independence.
In a letter to the station’s “friends and listeners,” WBHM Executive Director and General Manager Will Dahlberg wrote that Governor Kay Ivey signed House Bill 2 into law earlier this year, requiring “all state and local entities and their employees” to use “Gulf of America” in place of Gulf of Mexico in maps, documents, websites, and official communications.
The law, which follows President Trump’s January 2025 executive order directing federal agencies to use the name, takes effect October 1.
Because WBHM is licensed to UAB, every member of its staff is a UAB and state employee, bound by the same laws and rules as other university departments along with FCC regulations for noncommercial stations. Dahlberg wrote that after conversations with UAB and the University of Alabama System, he was told every communication WBHM staffers make in their roles as employees is considered official communication, including the station’s broadcasts.
He noted the law contains no enforcement mechanism or penalties, but said there is a reasonable expectation that state agencies will ensure it is followed, writing, “I was told that deviations from the law may result in disciplinary action or termination of employees, and failure to comply may impact WBHM’s relationship and support from UAB.”
In the same letter, Dahlberg said he will leave the station in mid-October, with his duties turned over to Stephen Murray, UAB’s Executive Director of Business Operations, who will field listener comments and concerns. Dahlberg has led WBHM since 2022 after twice serving as interim Executive Director and first joined the station as a news intern in 2012.
Dahlberg wrote, “Journalistic independence is foundational to a news organization. It’s a key part of how we maintain your trust. This law threatens that independence. It also puts us at odds with our partners at NPR, the Associated Press, and others who will continue to use ‘Gulf of Mexico.'”
“Admittedly, I do not envy the significant constraints and expectations placed upon UAB and state institutions navigating those politics.”
