CJCB was originally owned by the Nathanson family, that also owned CJCB radio at the time. CHUM Limited, owner of CJCH-TV, bought CJCB-TV in 1971 and applied to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to switch it to the CTV network. The switch occurred on September 26, 1972, when the CBC put CBIT-TV on the air in Sydney. After the switch occurred, it immediately joined the newly formed Atlantic Television Network (ATV), CHUM's network of CTV affiliates in the Maritimes.