FEER's change means what?

FEER( Far Eastern Economic Review), set up in 1946, will change from weekly to monthly in this December. And most important, it will change from the "more-academic" style magazine to the home of "Asia's thought-leaders of every ideological stripe", and "will emphasize politics as Asian nations take their rightful place on the world stage".

I was stuffed when first heard the news. Someone inside FEER told me that it is "a sad day for Asian Journalism". I know what it means. But all I don't know is what it will mean.