麻豆官网首页入口

A highly sceptical Una Hamil emailed us about regular Radio 4 and Home Truths contributor, John O鈥橞yrne. "Tell us the truth!" she demands, "Is he real? Does he really listen to the radio 24 hours a day? It鈥檚 time we were told!"

John O'Byrne most assuredly does exist and is alive and well and living in Dublin. Last year he had the satisfaction of knowing that around 60 of his contributions, usually sent to Radio 4 by e-mail were included in the networks's output. If you glance at the letter's page in this week's Radio Times, you'll also see a word or two from John there.

Now 50, John started his radio listening habits when he was a boy. It's a familiar story, "My father bought me a crystal set which I used to listen to it under the bedclothes .." These days, he'll listen to between 6 - 12 hours a day, not as you may imagine with his ear glued permanently to a set, but by dint of home set-up guaranteed to record every drop of radio. "I have two tape decks running during the day when I鈥檓 working," says John,"so when I come back I come back I can select from a nice menu of programmes... In fact, we have 4 zones in our house. My wife Geraldine is not a radio fan, so she has a television room and my son has a computer games room. I have the radio room." John also has a little records and tape room where his precious recordings, over 300 at the moment, are carefully indexed -although he admits the writing does get a bit squiggly. "We're not anti-social - we also have the cafeteria zone where we discuss the days events..."

Why do it, though? "It鈥檚 really the engagement with the topic and the challenge of thinking of something new," explains John, "I鈥檓 not a marathon runner, I鈥檓 a miniaturist!"

John, in past months a well-known contributor to the Home Truths message boards, had eight items on the programme last year. His favourite was the call to our listeners for anagrams, and would like to see a follow-up on palindromes. He says he's got about 20 lined up ready. We're ready and waiting, John!

听