Troy Cassar-Daley’s heartfelt tribute to wife Laurel Edwards after 4KQ sale

Troy Cassar-Daley has penned a heartfelt tribute to his wife Laurel Edwards after the “heartbreaking” sale of 4KQ cancelled the breakfast radio show she has hosted for 30 years.

Country star Troy Cassar-Daley has paid tribute to wife Laurel Edwards after the “heartbreaking” sale of 4KQ sounded the death knell for the breakfast radio show she has hosted for 30 years.

Sports Entertainment on Thursday confirmed it had acquired the commercial AM licence, formally 4KQ, and would rebrand it to become the new “home of sport”, which confirmed the popular breakfast team of Edwards, Mark Hine and Gary Clare would not continue broadcasting after the transaction was finalised.

The shock announcement came weeks before Edwards was due to celebrate 30 years on the show on May 18, becoming Australia’s longest serving female radio announcer on the same program.

Laurel Edwards and Troy Cassar-Daley at the launch of issue #2 of the Museum of Brisbane's Sunnie magazine at City Winery. Picture: Claudia Baxter

“I have watched my beautiful wife Laurel Edwards live and breathe her job on 4KQ for the past 29 years, getting up at 4am for breakfast radio is a huge effort and something to behold while raising kids and keeping a household together, she is some kind of super woman believe me,” Cassar-Daley wrote in a post to social media on Friday.

“Her dedication to the station has been a huge part of our lives.”

The 693AM signal will be rebranded as 693SENQ with the new sport format aimed to start in July. The network sought to redeploy the staff of the top-rating breakfast show elsewhere.

The announcement was met with a mammoth response from the Brisbane audience, many of whom lamented the loss of music in favour of more sport.

The 4KQ breakfast team of Mark Hine, Laurel Edwards and Gary Clare

Cassar-Daley said the selling of the station to become a sports-only network would “destroy a music station with nearly 70 years of history which has been the fabric of life for so many Brisbane people and families.”

“Laurel’s passion has been unwavering and it’s very heartbreaking for her to see it come to an end for her Gary and Mark their high rating breakfast team,” he continued.

“I just want to say how proud I am not only of Laurel’s on air achievements but the role model she has been on and off air for women in media. Never a scandal and always a true professional she has made us all incredibly proud.”

“I will miss this breakfast show and the tunes they play there will never be another one like it that’s for sure. When the switch is turned some time in July from music to sport that will truly be the day the music died in Brisbane.

“I love you Laurel and where ever this road takes us I’m ready.”