Ida Anding McNeil worked at the South Dakota Department of History from 1906 to 1921 as secretary, legislative reference librarian, and assistant superintendent. While there, she designed South Dakota’s first state flag.

In the 1920s, McNeil married railroad conductor and amateur radio station owner Dana McNeil and began broadcasting to him during his railroad runs. Others listened in, and the broadcast led to regular programming and a commercial license for radio station KGFX.

Believing that the radio station should serve the community, McNeil devoted seventy per cent of her air time to public service announcements, such as her “Hospital News” program. McNeil received state and national recognition as a broadcast pioneer.