Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — KSL NewsRadio’s popular podcast “Cold” might be developed into a TV series by PatMa Productions that discusses domestic violence.
The news about the possible TV show was first reported by Deadline on Thursday.
The podcast, hosted by Dave Cawley, delves into the story of Susan Powell, who went missing from West Valley City in 2009.
"We know that this podcast has inspired people to speak up about domestic abuse, and in turn it is helping to save lives," PatMa founders Nina Tassler and Denise Di Novi said in a prepared statement. "We hope that by bringing this story to the screen and to a broader audience, it will do the same."
PatMa Productions will begin shopping the series around to possible distributors, such as Netflix or Amazon.
"It’s very awesome, we couldn’t be more thrilled about it," said Sheryl Worsley, Director of Audience Development for "Cold" and Bonneville International Salt Lake Radio.
Cawley will serve as an executive producer for the potential series.
Powell, a young mother of two, seemed to vanish without a trace, but soon police began to think her husband, Josh Powell, had something to do with her disappearance. In Cawley’s podcast, he delves into the case and addresses domestic violence Susan faced at the hands of Josh and his father Steve.
The podcast, which has 38 million downloads to date, emphasized domestic violence issues and encouraged those in similar situations to seek help and resources from authorities.
Cawley and the "Cold" team have received dozens of emails and messages from survivors of domestic violence, as well as people who were experiencing domestic violence and decided to seek help after hearing the show, Worsley said.
“We know that the podcast did some important work and we’re very excited to see it have a broader audience," she said.
"We had a lot of interest in 'Cold' and were very selective in who we moved forward with as a production partner," added Tanya Vea, senior vice president of Bonneville International Salt Lake, KSL NewsRadio's parent company. "PatMa’s commitment to quality content and focus on issues was an important factor for us. They have an outstanding team, we are thrilled to work with them."
Worsley said the "Cold" team is deep into investigating season two of the podcast, but details about what the next season will explore are being kept under tight wraps.
Domestic violence resources
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
