Alabama Gulf Law Restricts WBHM as Isaias Nears

UAB directed WBHM staff to use “Gulf of America” under Alabama’s new naming law. The station’s executive director resigned, while the university later said it had dropped plans for tracking and staff attestation. Hurricane Isaias was approaching the northern Gulf Coast.

The storm is an immediate part of the story. NHC’s reported center for Isaias at 23:00 UTC on October 9, 2026—6 p.m. CDT—was 29.8°N, 86.8°W. The government feed lists maximum sustained winds of 100 knots, approximately 115 mph, making it a Category 3 hurricane; northward movement at 10° and 18 knots, about 21 mph; and a minimum central pressure of 960 millibars. The map marks that dated reported position and separates it from the forecast track issued at 21:00 UTC.

Alabama’s Gulf of America Act took effect October 1. Its enrolled text requires state and local entities and employees to use “Gulf of America” in new maps, documents, educational materials, websites and official communications. It requires reasonable efforts to update existing resources where practicable, with an exception for operational or financial burden. Public schools and universities may still use “Gulf of Mexico” in a larger course of instruction when reasonable for historical purposes.

WBHM is licensed to the University of Alabama at Birmingham and carries reporting from NPR and the Associated Press. Inside Higher Ed obtained emails in which UAB business-operations executive Steve Murray directed that WBHM staff’s written and spoken content use the new name from October 1. University lawyer Cam Earnhardt discussed evaluating the risk and cost of altering third-party material before broadcast or publication. Murray sought counts of Gulf references across the station’s channels; managing editor Andrew Yeager said comprehensive counting was not feasible.

UAB later said the data request had been resolved and that it planned no tracking or staff attestation. Will Dahlberg resigned as WBHM executive director, saying he could not ethically enforce the requirement; he also cited broader concerns about UAB’s treatment of the station.

The Gulf name change follows Trump’s January 2025 executive order directing the federal naming change. Governor Kay Ivey signed Alabama’s measure in April 2026. Her spokesperson defended the required name and characterized free-speech objections as political bias. Faculty and free-speech advocates have raised both academic-freedom and newsroom-independence concerns.

Section 2. Beginning October 1, 2026, all state and local entities and their employees shall be required to do all of the following: (1) Refer to the body of water that borders the coast of Alabama as the “Gulf of America.” (2) Reflect the “Gulf of America” terminology in all newly created maps, documents, educational materials, websites, official communications, and other resources. (3)a. Make reasonable efforts to update all pre-existing resources owned by state and local entities, including, but not limited to, official state maps, documents, educational materials, websites, and communications under their jurisdiction to reflect the name change, where practicable. b. The requirements of paragraph a. shall not apply if compliance would impose an operational or financial burden on the state or local entity and their employees. Section 3. Nothing in this section shall prohibit a public K-12 school or public institution of higher education from using the term “Gulf of Mexico” within a larger course of academic instruction when reasonable for historical purposes. Alabama HB2, enrolled Gulf of America Act, Sections 2–3

The scope of the state requirement and its exceptions are stated in the enrolled law below. Its broad reference to employees and official communications is the basis for UAB’s directive; its historical-instruction and burden exceptions remain part of the same statute.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. U.S. Constitution, First Amendment

UAB directed WBHM staff to use government-selected terminology in written and broadcast journalism. Free-speech advocates quoted by WBHM raised press-independence and academic-freedom objections.

The weather information is independently supplied by NOAA and NHC. The solid map line shows the reported past track, the dashed line the forecast center path, and the faint cone uncertainty around that forecast center. Hazardous weather can extend beyond the cone. The position and forecast each carry their own source time. When a newer NHC position is available, the map replaces the marker’s location and timestamp; when no update arrives, the last dated marker remains.

Sources

AI generated report by Explorvia.com.