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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - John Bothe was unemployed with time to spare - so he paid a radio station about $1,000 for air time to showcase his talents as host of a Saturday sports show.
Now he's finding the price of that show may be much higher.
The state Labor Department determined that Bothe's unpaid radio gig qualified as work and disqualified him from receiving unemployment benefits.
Not only has the state put a halt on future benefits, it wants Bothe to return $605 he already collected.
"My definition of work is doing a job and getting paid for it, not paying them," said Bothe, who lost his first appeal. He'll make his case again at an administrative hearing Sept. 8.
A Labor Department spokesman, Robert Lillpopp, told the Daily News of Batavia last week he could not comment on specific cases but that being available to work is important when collecting benefits.
"In order to get (benefits) you have to be ready, willing and available to work," he said.
Bothe explained to the department he had not been paid for the work but was told he had not read the state handbook outlining conditions for receiving benefits.
The handbook states that a person receiving benefits must report "any activity that brings in or may bring in income at any time."
Bothe, track announcer at Batavia Downs, said he was trying to improve his chances of staying off unemployment in the future, when he initiated the radio show after the season had ended at the harness race track.
"I thought if I get on the radio maybe somebody will hear me and I'll pick up some work," he said.
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"If sometimes you feel yourself little, useless, offended and depressed, always remember that you were once the fastest and most victorious sperm out of hundreds of millions."
If Barbie is so popular, how come you have to buy all her friends????
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