Unless you love Shania, Britney and Christina so much your heart aches every time you scan across the dial, listening to the radio can get tedious. And whether they follow the country, pop or rock formats, stations can reek of the same old, same old. In an effort to reject cookie-cutter sounds on the airwaves, two Canadian stations are breaking ranks to try something old and something new:

580 CFRA
Every Sunday night, this Ottawa-based news/talk-radio station hands over the microphone to two middle-aged bald guys discussing rock 'n' roll. Literally. The show, Middle Aged Bald Guys, is a return to the glory days of rock radio. Co-hosts Jim Hurcomb and Al Fleming(who work full-time for Indian and Northern Affairs)choose all the music and welcome celebrity guests, such as Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy and Randy Bachman of the Guess Who, to chat about their favourite tunes. "We're a throwback to the '70s when the presentation was more human," says Hurcomb, 51. "It's a crusade. We're out to save the world from bad radio." An added bonus: guest DJs, including former deputy prime minister Herb Gray and NDP Leader Jack Layton. www.cfra.com

CFHA COMEDY RADIO 103.5
Twenty years ago, Tom Gamblin came up with an idea for a 24-hour comedy radio station. Unfortunately, the cost of such a venture at that time was close to $1 million. But on Oct. 20, from a small office in Saint John, N.B., Gamblin finally hit the air with the first round-the-clock comedy station in Canada -- thanks to technological advancements, radio isn't as expensive as it used to be. "We don't have any guidelines to go by," said Gamblin, 46, on the first day, "so we're just trying something and if it doesn't work, we'll try something else." With only four employees(the station manager is the morning DJ, while the sales rep is also the afternoon traffic reporter), it may be an uphill battle, but Gamblin is willing to give it a go. "It's my first station," he says. "Hope it's not my last."

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