In Memoriam: Marshall Adams
November 11, 2025We are particularly shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Marshall Adams (AKA – Michael Kunkle). Since 2013, Adams had his own business aptly named Marshall Adams Media serving as “Personal Program Director specializing in all-news and news-talk radio consulting and ratings and revenue results” with offices at Monroeville Mall.
Adams had worked in Pittsburgh for Metro Traffic (where he went by Michael Kunkle). From 2006 to 2011 which included overseeing the station’s move from Gateway Center to Foster Plaza, he was the program director at KDKA-AM (1020). He had also worked briefly at Cumulus Media, WBT-AM/FM in Charlotte North Carolina, and KTRH-AM in Houston, Texas.
Mr. Adams was a protege of the late Joe Gearing who spent 55 years in radio – save for a few years as a District Justice – including several of those years at KDKA. Adams welcomed Gearing back to the Gateway Center studio for a final tour a year or two before the move.
A fan of Eat ‘n’ Park Restaurants and their signature “Smiley Cookie,” Mr. Adams’ final Facebook post on Monday said simply, “Keep Smiling!”
He leaves behind three children, is parents, a brother and nephew, and his former spouse.
No word on the cause of death, though unexpected. A memorial is set for Saturday.
NOTE: This was edited to include the correct list of family members left behind.
Worked with Michael at Metro Traffic. Sad news indeed. Just a note, Metro was at Allegheny Center, not Gateway, before moving to Parkway Center.
With radio going virtual, are there any stations left at Parkway Center these days? I haven’t seen the WORD and other station vans in the lot lately. WJAS and WSHH seem to live a quiet life on Parish Street down the hill, but all radio stations seem to be gone from Fleet Street, thought KDKA must still be in Foster Plaza. It was cool to live around most of the radio stations in the area.
I hope that someone is caring for Michael’s pooch pal, smiling terrier mix.
So WJAS moved back to Broadcast Plaza II? When Renda sold it, it went to the Flash Cube. But here again it wouldn’t surprise me if they moved it an available closet in the building…
Oh I know, stations are so virtual now, if you see some of what’s going on, stations can be almost fully on the cloud, with everyone on remote, and a stream coming out at the transmitter end.
No, I’m not sure that they moved down to Parish street, it’s hearsay, but earlier this year there was a mass cleanup at Fleet Street, three full to the brim large roll-off dumpsters filled with radio station junk, it looked like mostly WDVE, but I’m assuming that every bit of radio is out of the ‘flashcube’ now.
Also I heard Darryl Grandy doing a public affairs interview program on WJAS this past week, so he may still be there.
Boomer
WJAS seems to have removed all contact info from its website and its Facebook page. The 200 Fleet St. address isn’t on either one any more.
Unfortunately, the FCC website is currently down for “maintenance,” so I can’t see what they’ve listed as their “control point.” Theoretically, I’m not sure why WJAS couldn’t be at St. Barnabas headquarters in Gibsonia, or even co-located with the Beaver County stations. (But what do I know? As Doug Hoerth used to say, “I bought an Edsel.”)
Update … the FCC website is back up, and WJAS’s main studio is listed as 200 Fleet Street – 4th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15220.