On July 28, 1975, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation received approval from the CRTC to operate a new french-language FM station at Sudbury, Ontario on the frequency 98.1 MHz.

[3] However, the station launched in 1978 as an affiliate of the talk network after the CBC was unable to negotiate an agreement with F. Baxter Ricard to directly acquire CFBR.

Prior to CBON-FM's sign-on, CJBC Toronto simulcasted on most of the rebroadcast transmitters across northern Ontario.

On all public holidays, either Pas comme d'habitude from CJBC in Toronto is heard provincewide (except Ottawa) from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. On some holidays, Y'a pas deux matins pareils from CJBC or Le matin du Nord from CBON airs on both stations, but on some others holidays, both stations air their local shows as usual or both stations air Matins sans frontières from CBEF Windsor.

On August 19, 2021, the CRTC approved the CBC's application to increase the average effective radiated power (ERP) for CBON-FM-5 at 101.7 MHz Elliot Lake from 1,000 to 7,245 watts (maximum ERP from 2,640 to 17,622 watts), increasing the effective height of the antenna above average terrain from 141.0 to 165.3 metres.