PRSA **Technology** Award Submissions: Audio Tapes... ehh?

Every once in awhile I receive an email that thoroughly perplexes me... Today's cranium-scratcher is from an organization I probably should have heard of: The Public Relations Society of America. According to their website, they are "Advancing the Profession and the Professional."

The invitation (and humor) begins:

If you or one of your editorial colleagues wrote and published something in the past year that seems worthy of reward and recognition, you should read this letter and consider entering your work. The Technology Professional Interest Section of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has extended its Call for Entries for its 2007 Excellence in Technology Journalism Awards competition, and the final deadline for submission is now June 27, 2008.

Reading further, I stumbled across the following quiz: Why, in a call for submissions for the "2007 Excellence in Journalism Awards" would they require radio and TV submissions to be made using audio cassette and VHS tape (we'll assume respectively). Rule #8 states:

8. Radio and TV segments must be submitted in audio cassette tape or VHS version (five (5) copies) tape form, along with hard copies of a written script or transcript.

I'm looking forward to learning how this organization is advancing a profession by using two-generation-old technology for their technology awards submissions. [For the sake of discussion: I'm defining "generations" as: cassette/VHS -> CD/DVD -> MP3/Digital video (i.e. online).]

I don't even own a casette player or VHS deck anymore. Sad. I guess I'm not qualified? (Not that my work would stand up to the great tech reporting that won prior years anyway.)

Perhaps, folks, this might explain why it was necessary to extend the deadline??

Your responses welcome -- in any format! ;-)