Diane Smithem is a broadcasting pioneer. She was the first licensed female Radio-TV engineer in the Bay Area, holding an FCC 1st Class Radio Telephone license - now called an FCC General License. She has worked at KNBR, KGO-radio, KGO-TV Channel 7, and KQED-TV Channel 9. You'll easily recognize Diane's distinctive speaking voice, since she was the voice of the phone company for twenty years. She now uses her singing voice as a vocalist for the U.S.S. Hornet Big Band. Diane Smithen can also be heard these days as one of the voices of Alameda Community Radio.