Nightcharm was the first ever blog/paysite combination I'd seen ... and that was over 6-7 years ago! He has changed the theme, but the essence of what he has created is still very evident. His http://www.ncinnercircle.com/ looks to be using something other than Wordpress, and I don't know the details of why the change.

Any whoooo -- If anyone is serious about using Wordpress for their CMS, this Paysite Plugin might be a viable solution. (yes, it's free)