Is the premium forums still dead? I tried it for awhile back when Fred owned the site... I think it went a week with no posts in there. Which is to be expected... people tend to post where it has the most exposure.
I always felt like you should subscribe if you want to support the site, and any other benefit is just a bonus. then you dont get dissapointed or feel like you're buying something not worth it...rather you're investing in something that is.