Christopher Sarson, a British-born Boston transplant who earlier helped bring Masterpiece Theatre to WGBH, originally pitched the idea to WBZ and even shot a pilot for a show called Zoom-In featuring a few children, local TV personality Rex Trailer, and a baby elephant.Īlthough WBZ passed on Zoom-In, Sarson persuaded WGBH to let him use $30,000 left over from another program to film a second pilot. Zoom, the children’s program with the infectious theme song that first aired a half-century ago, took an odd turn at the very beginning. By 1976, ZOOM had received over two million letters.Įxcerpts from the Boston Globe 50 years ago, ‘Zoom’ took over TV with Ubbi Dubbi, that ZIP code song, and 10,000 letters a weekĪn oral history of the first show for kids by kids, from nearly two dozen cast members and creators. Many wrote in asking for specific ZOOM cards, which contained information about activities highlighted on previous episodes these viewers generally included a SASE, or self-addressed stamped envelope, in anticipation of a reply. Others shared original plays, poems, stories, and artwork. Some viewers suggested themes for discussion among the ZOOMers, or passed along tongue twisters and riddles. Over the course of six seasons, millions of American children watched ZOOM, and they responded to its exhortation to participate by sending in an average of 10,000 letters every week. Produced at public television station WGBH in Boston, ZOOM was one of the most successful non-commercial children’s series of the 1970s. ZOOM (1972-1978): Children’s Community and Public Television in the 1970s

From the American Archive of Public Broadcasting

Zoom tv show pbs