I have quite mixed feelings over today's announcement. Between early 2006 and last Winter I listened to almost* every show, in full on the iPlayer during the course of the week. I took time off work and stayed up to watch the entire marathon show live, while posting here as the show went on. I'd say I was a pretty hardcore fan.
Sadly though I've got to say that my interest started to fade in the run up to last Christmas. I missed a couple of shows, then tried to get back into the show in the new year, but for me, the show just seemed to have changed. I didn't say anything here at the time as in the past I seem to remember 'dissenters' being rather flamed, but I gave up on the show, and to me it felt like a pretty big deal (also left me with a lot more time on my hands!
). Coming on here today I see that even a good few of the forum's hardcore members have noted and spoken out about the shows decline in one way or another over the last few months, so maybe I got out at the right time... I don't think the show's obsession with Twitter/Facebook interaction or Chris' non-radio distractions helped the show either, but I can't really blame him for branching out.
So basically my view is that they've called it quits at the right time. The winds of change are blowing through Radio 1, and in my opinion, those winds have damaged the CM Show and were only set to hurt it even more. It was only going to become a shadow of the show most of us fell in love with, and for some including myself, I'd say it already has. Radio 1 might be chasing 'the youth', but they lost this 23 year old. I've got to say though, if this announcement had come a year or two ago, I'd be as gutted as some of the other posters here.
* I missed just a handful of shows over the years due to holidays and suchlike.