The quick-witted Bob Costas that spoke last night was not exactly the version that people here might be used to.

The NBC broadcaster strode into the soft spotlight at a crowded Schwab Auditorium last night for a conversation presented by Penn State's John Curley Center for Sports Journalism.

Though still well-manicured, with a velvet-tongued tone, neatly organized hair and a sharp gray suit, Costas spoke candidly for the crowd of students and alumni, frequently drawing laughter and applause. He touched on topics ranging from his most memorable interview, to how to break into the journalism industry in the interview directed by Penn State alum Amanda Gifford, a 2004 Penn State alumna.

His aura last night ran opposite to what the normal viewing public sees: a straight-faced host of the Olympic games, NBC's Football Night in America and HBO's Inside Football and Costas Now.

"I just was responding more or less to Amanda's questions and the audience's questions," Costas said. "So, I had no particular message to convey, maybe something was contained therein but I had no agenda."

Costas spoke, at times, to the aspiring journalists in the room. He spoke particularly about interviewing techniques and being able to elicit the kind of response a reporter might be looking for.

"You have to be a good listener and be willing to respond to what a person says rather than preconceived notions," he said.

He also talked about the importance of doing research and the lack of big name sportscasters of yesteryear, due to the sports media saturation of today.

Costas also spoke about his experience coming up in the world of broadcasting and advocated students to move from radio to television broadcasting, rather than vice versa. He said that they should be able to paint the whole picture in radio before they merely add the captions to it on television.

"First and foremost, get as well-rounded as you possibly can," he said. "Know your stuff and prove yourself as a broadcaster and a journalist."

But throughout, Costas used humor to keep the crowd heeled. He opened up by giving a shout-out to those seated in the balcony but addressing a shout-out of his own.

In one of the night's funniest moments, Costas talked about being "named-checked" on the Ludacris album Chicken-N-Beer. The mention in the rapper's song gave him "street cred," he said to raucous applause from the audience.

"I think he's really witty and funny," said Susan Bedsworth (junior-public relations). "I learned a lot about him that I didn't know."

Costas, who attended Syracuse University, is a 19-time Emmy Award-winner and was named "National Sportscaster of the Year" eight times. He is widely known for his coverage of the Olympics, but has covered every major sport, including five World Series and four Super Bowls.

"I'm glad I came, because I didn't realize he's so funny," said Jie Qiong Chen (senior-accounting). "When you're watching him broadcasting he's always getting back to the facts, which I guess you need, but I got to see more things, so I'm glad I came."