WBHM, other outlets deal with pointless law on Gulf name

FROM GOOGLE MAPS If you hear the word “Gulf” during a news broadcast by WBHM radio in Birmingham, or Alabama Public Radio, or WVUA 23 TV in Tuscaloosa, it refers to the Gulf of Mexico, not the Gulf of Tonkin. That helpful tip is for the 1% of the audience who might be baffled.No one is going to hear “Gulf of Mexico” because the State of Alabama says that’s not allowed. It’s an edict that drew some public displeasure last week from the general manager of WBHM.In April, the Legislature passed a bill that takes effect Thursday and requires all state agencies and employees to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” It parallels a federal-level executive order by President Trump. “It’s got a nice ring to it,” Gov. Kay Ivey said. “And it just makes sense.”The three news outlets I mentioned* are part of the University of Alabama System, with university-owned broadcast licenses, and they receive state money. They are “state entities” covered by the law. The Legislature wrote an…