'Rhea: A Life In Television' Airs May 18 On MPT

Maryland Public Television (MPT) will present the half-hour special Rhea: A Life in Television on MPT-HD at 8 p.m. on Monday, May 18. The program offers viewers an intimate and delightful look at Rhea Feikin, the recently retired “First Lady” of Maryland Public Television.

Rhea Feikin spent her entire career interviewing talented and fascinating people. Now the tables are turned, and five of her well-known friends have interviewed her about her life and TV career.

Filmmaker John Waters chats with Rhea about her early days at WBAL-TV and her weather reports with the puppet J.P., and U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski reminisces with Rhea about her family life and growing up in Baltimore's Hampden neighborhood. Baltimore Center Stage Executive Director Michael Ross talks to Rhea about her love for theatre and how she nurtured and promoted the Maryland art scene through the years.

In addition, MPT President and CEO Larry Unger gets the scoop on all the productions on which Rhea has worked at MPT, from Consumer Survival Kit to Artworks This Week to Chesapeake Collectibles. And finally, Rhea and her fellow pledge host, former MPT producer Donald Thoms, have a lively chat about their favorite pledge show guests and why she never got tired of hosting the MPT fundraising drives.

A short preview of the program is available at this link: https://bit.ly/3ckOjOo.

A second broadcast of Rhea: A Life in Television will be offered at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 23. The program will also be available on the MPT livestream at mpt.org/livestream and on the free MPT app.

Rhea Feikin retired from MPT on March 1. She continues to serve the statewide public TV network as a director of the MPT Foundation, Inc.