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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) \u2013 We at KGET bid a fond farewell to a longtime employee on Wednesday \u2014 a behind-the-scenes guy without whom our influence in the community over the past four decades would have surely been significantly less impactful.<\/p>\n
You may not know him, but you know his work.<\/p>\n
From public service announcements to spacecraft launches to the Bakersfield Christmas parade, his video handiwork \u2014 filming, directing, creating \u2014 has been beaming into Kern County living rooms since December 1984.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now Jim Tripeny, head of our Eye Street Productions, is calling it a career.<\/p>\n
His family \u2014 blood kin and office kin, past and present \u2014 came out to celebrate his professional transition, which becomes official June 1.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrip,\u201d as he is known, came aboard when Michael Jackson and Van Halen were topping the charts. Ghostbusters and Indiana Jones were in theaters. Ronald Regan was president and gas was a dollar a gallon. Channel 17 had just changed its call letters from KPWR to KGET.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve handed out three 40-year pins in my time,\u201d KGET General Manager Derek Jeffrey announced before 80 pizza-eating employees and guests. \u201cIt\u2019s an absolute honor to have Trip be one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trip, whose work has appeared on KGET, Telemundo, the CW and KGET+, was \u2014 in addition to his technical and creative skills \u2014 an office fashion trendsetter. He owns five plaid button-down short sleeve shirts, one for each day of the week.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, that\u2019s my trademark now,\u201d Tripeny said. \u201c(However) if you look at some of the pictures with all the hair\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
But even more than his impeccable fashion sense, coworkers will miss his consistently creative approach to his work. Colleague Jonathan Redman said Tripeny has been a key player.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has been the backbone of all of these stations,\u201d Redman said. \u201cHe is the unsung hero of KGET and all of our stations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tripeny says he has enjoyed KGET.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to retirement but I am going to miss the people,\u201d he said. \u201cThis beats having to work for a living. That\u2019s what I always say.\u201d<\/p>\n
Congratulations, Jim. What a long, strong Trip it\u2019s been.<\/p>\n
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