This Day in TV History: Stay tuned after the Super Bowl for...

For a long time, the Super Bowl was not seen as a launchpad for future hits and would-be hits by the TV networks.  On this day 40 years ago, NBC broadcast Super Bowl XV, in which Tom Flores' Oakland Raiders became the first Wild Card team to win the big game by beating the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10.

Just under 69 million viewers tuned into the game, but NBC didn't take that audience for granted. It kept the night going with CHiPs--and not even a new episode, but a repeat of season 3's Thrill Show, which had aired nearly a year earlier.  Perhaps the strike that delayed much of the 80-81 season affected NBC's plans, but, wow, that sounds like an unimpressive Super Bowl leadout.