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On Tuesday, Radio Ink Editor-in-Chief Ed Ryan hosted a special webinar on voice technology with Veritone’s Senior Product Manager Michael Kennedy and Apps Engineering Manager Steve Shaffer. Just in case you were too busy on Tuesday, here's a link to the webinar. Feel free to listen anytime.

Advertisers will continue to deduct advertising expenses from their taxes as a result of tax reform legislation passed by Congress this week. Both broadcasters and advertisers were worried that expense would be dropped and were fighting to keep it alive. Here's what NAB CEO Gordon Smith said about the legislation...

For the past 10 years, AM870 The Answer (KRLA/Los Angeles) and AM590 The Answer (KTIE/San Bernardino), have partnered with the California Highway Patrol to support their “CHiPS for Kids” toy drive. Morning show hosts Brian and Jen, The Morning Answer team, did live broadcasts, collecting over 500 toys and more than $1000.

Community Broadcasters teamed up with Homes for Heroes of Florence and Sumter in South Carolina to collect and distribute blankets for the needy this holiday season. The gathering of the blankets took place over a three-week period and they've been distributed to several locations in both Florence and Sumter.

With two days of on-air auctions of sports items, dinners, tickets and more, 610 listeners helped raise $77,160 for Star of Hope in Houston. Star of Hope is a facility dedicated to helping families who are homeless. More than just a meal and a place to sleep, it’s a true center that teaches and helps the entire family.

The mountain of toys pictured is being donated to the kids at MU's Children's Hospital in Columbia, Missouri. It ensures that all of the kids have lots of toys for Christmas Day and beyond. Cumulus Media's Q106.1 (KOQL/Columbia), “The Hit Music Channel,” collected the donations at the Columbia Mall for the past two Saturdays.

Alpha Media, Far East Bay, CA, hosted their 4th Annual Wayne Coy’s Toys Radiothon on Friday, December 15 and Saturday, December 16. Over $3,000 and 1,700 toys were collected for Mattress Firm Foster Kids. Hometown Morning’s Wayne Coy, along with KKIQ and KKDV’s Mel McKay, broadcast live.

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has sided with BMI and affirmed a lower court ruling that the BMI consent decree allows for the practice of fractional licensing. Three years ago, BMI went to the DOJ to discuss modernizing the consent decree. Instead, according to BMI, the DOJ simply passed down its interpretation of the consent decree. BMI disagreed and the fight was on.

Beasley Broadcast Group has closed on the previously announced asset exchange with Entercom as part of the Entercom merger with CBS Radio. Beasley exchanged WMJX-FM in Boston and $12 million cash for WBZ-FM, 98.5 The Sports Hub. Entercom already had Sports station WEEI-FM in Boston.

Whether Performance Rights Organizations can or should be able to offer fractional or full licenses has become quite a confusing issue. While BMI states Tuesday's ruling means business as usual with radio, the NAB is not so sure about that.