When commercial timeouts end during radio broadcasts for WXPN, the producer says "cue" to tell the announcers they are back on the air. In Dallas for the NCAA tournament, the producer said "cue," but Penn senior and play-by-play Quakers announcer Brian Seltzer was silent. Color announcer Vince Curran saved Seltzer as he awoke from his daze.
"He had no idea we were back; he was checking out the [Texas] cheerleaders," Curran said. "The leather chaps of the dance team distracted him."
It was one of the few mistakes Seltzer, who has been the announcer for the Quakers since 2005, has made in his young radio career.
That career began before Seltzer came to Penn, when he was a junior at Cheltenham High School in nearby Elkins Park. Seltzer approached Bob Bumbera, the News, Sports and Public Affairs director of WXPN.
"He was looking for the best practical experience he could find. He had an incredible foresight," Bumbera said. "He knew he could get a lot of experience at Penn."
Based on that knowledge, Seltzer chose to attend Penn. Bumbera compared Seltzer's decision to a coach signing a blue-chip recruit.
But while basketball players are noted for their ability to stroke the three or rebound, Seltzer is noted for his voice.
"We call them 'pipes' in the business," Bumbera said.
Curran calls Seltzer's voice "terrific," noting that "he's got the voice of a seasoned veteran. He has great rhythm, a smooth cadence."
Curran says that for Seltzer's age and experience he has never seen talent like his. Much of Seltzer's talent is natural, but the hard work can't be discounted as well.
Seltzer's preparation is "off the charts," Curran said, and Bumbera added that "he prepares like none other I have ever seen." Seltzer admitted that he spends five to six hours preparing for each game.
It may seem logical that Seltzer would eventually be the play-by-play announcer for the Quakers. However, no crystal ball could have told him that he would make it this far.
"I never thought that any undergraduate, let alone me, would be the play-by-play announcer," Seltzer said. "The breaks just fell the right way."
When longtime announcer and Penn alumnus Adam Hertzog decided to move on, WXPN needed a replacement. Bumbera viewed that as the perfect opportunity to bring a student back into the fold, and Seltzer was just the student he was looking for. Curran, a 1992 graduate and player under former coach Fran Dunphy, was brought in as the color man.
While Curran knew Seltzer from reporting he had done from for WXPN, they were largely unfamiliar with each other.
But through their constant back-and-forth on the air, the two have forged a dynamic working relationship and friendship. Seltzer describes himself as the straight shooter and Curran as more of a loose cannon.
"I try to use him as a resource and work to bring out the best insights of a color person possible," Seltzer said. At the same time, he noted that Curran will "throw a good batch of curve balls."
Seltzer has used his experience at WXPN as a springboard to radio stations outside of Penn and a career in the business. He has jumped from covering sprint football and field hockey games to working as a beat reporter for WPEN, covering the Philadelphia Eagles and working alongside noted announcer Merrill Reese. He has also covered the Yankees while working as an assistant for WCBS.
In November, he won two Achievement in Radio Awards, which recognize radio work in Philadelphia. He won for the best sports reporting/play-by-play announcing in college and best sports reporting as a professional.
Yet he refuses to underestimate the importance of his play-by-play announcing for the Quakers.
"It's not just simulating the experience of what it would be like as a real job, it is a real job." Seltzer said.
"I see him doing national television or radio game in the future," Bumbera said. "You don't run into a kid with such natural talent often. He's been a real pride point, not only for WXPN, but for the university as well."
