Zoom was one of the first children's show hosted entirely by kids. Created by WGBH, the public station in Boston, the series was aimed grade-schoolers and featured a rotating cast of seven to ten kids who performed songs, dances, games and skits for their peers at home.

Starting in 1972, the show tried to be as interactive as possible, encouraging young viewers to send in letters with suggestions and ideas. The cast consisted of kids ages nine through 13 who were largely responsible for assembling the many segments of Zoom.

Subject matter ranged from documentary films sent in by viewers, jokes, stories, plays written by viewers and performed by the cast, as well as quizzes, games and songs. Zoom viewers who wrote in were rewarded with ZoomCards, featuring cast pictures, rhymes, and a form for the viewer's next submission. Audience response was so great that it saved the show from cancellation after its second season.

Zoom's original run lasted from 1972 to 1978 but PBS created an updated version in 1999. The new Zoom aired until 2005, encouraging a new generation of kids to "turn off the TV and do it!"