4BC Breakfast trio Laurel Edwards, Gary Clare, and Mark Hine to leave show after ratings slump

Just two years after being appointed the flagship hosts of 4BC’s breakfast show, its trio of hosts have been unceremoniously shown the door, following weeks of mounting speculation and a sharp decline in ratings.

Formerly of 4KQ, the 4BC Breakfast Team (left to right) Mark Hine, Laurel Edwards and Gary Clare have been shown the door. Picture: Richard Walker

• 40 years of radio shocks

Just two years after being appointed the flagship hosts of 4BC’s breakfast radio, Laurel Edwards, Gary Clare, and Mark Hine have been unceremoniously shown the door, following weeks of mounting speculation and a sharp decline in ratings.

The announcement, delivered in a statement on Friday, confirmed that 4BC Breakfast will be “taking on a new direction,” bringing the curtain down on the team’s run after a significant audience decline over the past two years, with the radio trio set to depart the station on September 27.

“Brisbane’s 4BC has announced it will be taking on a new direction in the Breakfast timeslot as Laurel Edwards, Gary Clare and Mark Hine prepare to bid farewell,” the statement read.

“Laurel, Gary and Mark have been part of the morning routine for millions of Brisbane listeners for over 30 years thanks to their chemistry, music and determination to make people laugh.”

Head of Content for Nine Radio, Greg Byrnes acknowledged the trio’s legacy, saying, “Laurel, Gary, and Mark have been a vital part of our live and local content strategy. It’s been a privilege to have them engage with Brisbane listeners, but we’ve decided to take a new approach to breakfast.”

The announcement, delivered in a statement on Friday, confirmed that 4BC Breakfast will be “taking on a new direction”. Photo: 4BC.

Mr Byrnes also noted that the station’s loyal audience would undoubtedly miss the chemistry and humour the trio brought to their morning routine, adding, “We’ll be sending them off in a style worthy of their remarkable careers.”

Edwards, Clare and Hine, who made the leap from 4KQ to 4BC in July 2022, initially enjoyed a successful start, debuting with an 11.8 per cent market share.

This impressive rating secured them a solid third place in Brisbane’s fiercely competitive breakfast radio landscape, trailing behind FM giants B105 and Nova 106.9.

However, the show’s fortunes have since taken a dramatic downturn, with GfK’s latest radio survey in August showing a sharp drop to a 4.3 per cent audience share — now trailing behind all major FM stations, ABC Brisbane, and even Triple J.

The radio hosts will take a planned survey break next week before returning for their final week on air, beginning Monday, September 23.

Their last show on September 27 is expected to be a reflective and emotional farewell, featuring highlights from their storeyed tenure in Brisbane radio.

An announcement regarding 4BC Breakfast’s new line-up is expected in the coming weeks as the station looks to reinvigorate its morning programming for the remainder of 2024.