Daniel M. Lerner, radio broadcasting pioneer and longtime philanthropist, has died at 91
He popularized the adult contemporary music format and made Kiss 100 a broadcast success in Philadelphia. “We filled a need by creating a new kind of format that would appeal to the listeners in the 35 to 50 age group,” he said in 1983.
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Daniel M. Lerner, 91, of Merion, retired radio broadcasting pioneer, innovative programmer, former advertising account executive, consultant, and longtime philanthropist, died Wednesday, Feb. 21, of complications from cancer at his home.
An early proponent of what became known as the adult contemporary radio format, Mr. Lerner was awarded the broadcasting license for WKSZ-FM (100.3) in Media in 1981. He nicknamed the new station Kiss 100, introduced long blocks of soft rock and love songs to attract the coveted 25- to 49-year-olds, and zoomed to the top of the local ratings chart in less than five years.
“We knew within days that we had a winner,” Mr. Lerner told the Daily News in 1983. “We started receiving calls and letters from listeners telling us how wonderful we were. And, more important, we got unsolicited calls from businesses that wanted to advertise with us.”
In 1993, as musical trends evolved, he changed the station’s call letters to WPLY-FM and nickname to Y-100, and adopted an alternative-rock format to entice younger listeners. He championed women’s roles in media throughout his career and sold the radio station in 2000.
Born in Philadelphia, Mr. Lerner earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Pennsylvania, and was a lifetime member of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. He and his brother, Arnold, owned and operated radio stations in the Boston area in the 1960s, and they embraced a new strategy of replacing blocks of instrumental music with 15-minute sets of popular vocal music with no interruptions.
“It turned out to be the perfect compromise, and it became a significant development,” Mr. Lerner said in an online interview with Philly Radio Archives. He returned to Philadelphia in 1967 to work as a TV advertising account executive, general manager at WIFI-FM radio, and industry consultant before acquiring WKSZ.
Known by family and friends for “creating a multitude of possibilities for others“ and “dreaming big and finding success,” Mr. Lerner and his wife created the Daniel Lerner Family Endowed Scholarship for music and communications students at Penn in 2004. They also funded the Lerner Atrium at the FoundCare health center in West Palm Beach, Fla., and the indoor track at the Central Lincoln County YMCA in Maine.
He was active with the Garrett Williamson child-care and learning center in Newtown Square, and sat on boards at FoundCare, the Rocky Run YMCA in Media, and the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, Maine. Officials at the botanical gardens named their Lerner Garden of the Five Senses, and the Lyn and Daniel Lerner Visitor Center in honor of Mr. Lerner and his wife. A former colleague said: “Dan’s involvement and connections continue to have ripple effects that just keep going and going.”
Born Nov. 26, 1932, Daniel Merril Lerner grew up in Drexel Hill and graduated from Upper Darby High School in 1950. He played piano as a boy and earned a bachelor’s degree in music at Penn in 1954 and a master’s degree in communications in 1961.
He worked briefly for the Civil Service Commission in Philadelphia before launching his broadcasting career as a radio advertising account executive in Rhode Island and Philadelphia. He married his high school sweetheart, Lyn Gomberg, in 1954, and they had daughters Ann and Julie, and son, Paul. They lived in Center City, Bala Cynwyd, and Merion. His wife died in 2022.
Mr. Lerner enjoyed boating, traveling, and spending time with family and friends in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Maine. He and his wife explored Europe for nearly a year in the 1950s and went around the world in a Concorde airplane in 1999.
He took his family on a cross-country vacation during the Bicentennial summer of 1976 and, of course, played the radio constantly while they traveled in the car. When his daughter Julie fell seriously ill, he was a tireless caregiver.
“He left a legacy not just for his family but for each community in which he has been a part,“ said his daughter Ann. His son said: “He was gregarious and friendly. He was curious about people’s lives. He was a great guy and a great father.”
His daughter Julie said: “Everybody loved my dad.”
In addition to his children and brother, Mr. Lerner is survived by two granddaughters and other relatives.
A celebration of his life is to be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 2, at the Levering Mill Tribute House, 382 Bala Ave., Bala Cynwyd, Pa. 19004.
Donations in his name may be made to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Box 234, Boothbay, Maine 04537; and Garrett Williamson, 395 Bishop Hollow Rd., Newtown Square, Pa. 19073.