Carlisle also saw success as a songwriter. Her 1941 song, "Walkin' by the River", made her the first black woman to have a composition on any United States' "Billboard" chart. She had her own radio show "The Una Mae Carlisle Radio Show" on WJZ-ABC. That made her "the first Black American to host a national radio show." Later in the 1940s, Carlisle hosted several television programs.