Last week radioinfo reported that Darwin’s HOT 100 and Mix 104.9 program director Phil Brandel was allegedly caught posting derogatory comments about other NT media on a Facebook page attributed to a bogus character called Claudia White. But derogatory texts traced to a mobile phone issued to Brandel by his employer has forced GM Mark Johnson to terminate his employment.

Last week when the story first appeared in the Northern Territory News, Brandel told radioinfo that he was seeking legal advice over matter suggesting that he had felt he had in some way been slandered.

NT Broadcasters general manager Mark Johnson told the paper yesterday, “We were able to confirm the message sent to the NT News emanated from the mobile phone that had been allocated to Phil Brandel … consequently his employment with our company was terminated.”

Brandel was reportedly walked off the radio station’s premises.

Management at Hot 100 were not available at this stage to comment for radioinfo.