The first was called “Playgrounds,” featured the first cast from the show, now replaced. Zoom came up with two, plus an early “unofficial” one. Practically every show issued a cast album in those days. The kids were carefully chosen not to be overly perfect and instead be very natural. Plus it was a very entertaining mix of music, sketches (some not so good but funny because of it) and magazine-style segments. Lots of local shows had drawing contests and letter writing, but this was national and it was pretty exciting, even if your work was not selected. Each time a postcard would be sent with a photo and some lyrics or other material from the show, as kind of a thanks for trying.
I sent in several creative things including a play and lyrics to “The Cat Came Back,” a song they performed regularly. My friends and I were partial to the lovely Nina, However, it didn’t take long for viewers like us to become attached to cast members. It most likely eliminated divas, instant stars and diva parents. There were probably several reasons-to keep the show fresh, to allow for diversity, to give lots of kids a chance to be on the show, to keep the age level stable, etc.
The producers rotated the cast out every six months. When PBS was still finding itself and shows like Sesame Street, The Electric Company and The French Chef with Julia Child were just getting on their feet (while other shows like The Great American Dream Machine and Hollywood Television Theater were allowing new and veteran talents to experiment), Boston public station WGBH introduced a show for, by and starring kids. Long before “zooming” meant talking to people on computer screens like The Jetsons crossed with The Brady Bunch, “Zoom” was about interaction of a different sort.
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