We had former 97.5 the Fanatic host Harry Mayes on Thursday’s episode of Crossing Broadcast to go over the latest 50 Hot Takes column. With take #7, I proposed a Wonderlic test for sports writers, like an annual exam they’d have to pass in order to retain eligibility for credentials. This way you’re not allowed to ask A.J. Brown a question unless you can explain the difference between 11 personnel and 12 personnel. It would be a good way to weed out the know-nothings who don’t actually do any work in the field and improve the quality of the player and coach relationship with the local media, because we’d only be sending our best.

Harry agreed with the take and then told a story I’d never heard before.

Joe DeCamara, who was assistant program director at the Fanatic before returning to WIP in 2016, used to give interns a knowledge test:

Mayes: “Did you get this from Joe DeCamara? Joe DeCamara, when he was at the Fanatic, this is no lie, he had a test, like a quiz, he would require all the interns coming in to work there, they had to take the quiz and get a certain score on it. I don’t know what the score was, I don’t think it (had to be) a perfect score, but they had to know a certain amount about sports and Philadelphia sports in order to work there.” 

I love it. This isn’t a charity. If you’re gonna intern at a sports talk radio station, then you should have a baseline understanding of what you’re getting yourself into. I should ask around and see if I can get a copy of this quiz. Then we’ll have the average sports radio caller take the test and see if they can pass it. It’ll be the local version of Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?. 

This is now the second time I’ve been impressed with THE HAMMER for the way he handles himself behind the scenes. First it was the letter he wrote Tom Bigby back in the day. Remember that one? “I want you to remember my name” he wrote to the former 610 WIP program director. He told Bigby he was gonna make it big in sports talk radio one of these days, and he ended up replacing Angelo Cataldi. We haven’t had cajones like that since Nick Foles called for Philly Philly. Now I hear that DeCamara was quizzing interns before they could get into 97.5 the Fanatic. That’s fucking CUTTHROAT! Everybody is so soft these days. But not The Hammer.


Here’s the full episode of Crossing Broadcast: