America’s Troubleshooter
For more than five decades, Tom Martino has been the go-to consumer champion for everyday Americans. Since 1973, he has dedicated his career to answering questions, exposing scams, resolving complaints, and holding bad actors accountable — through newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and the internet. Over that time, Tom has helped recover hundreds of millions of dollars in refunds, exchanges, merchandise, and services on behalf of consumers nationwide.
To this day, Tom hosts the Troubleshooter Show — widely recognized as the longest-running radio talk show in America with the same host. Broadcasting live weekdays on Denver’s Talk Radio 630 KHOW (iHeartRadio), the show reaches a national audience through the iHeartRadio app, live-streams on YouTube, and is available as a podcast on Spotify and all major platforms. Millions of loyal fans tune in for consumer help, information, and trusted referrals.
Tom’s high-energy format is unlike anything else on radio. Every program is a live, unscripted whirlwind of real callers in real trouble — people being cheated, scammed, or simply ripped off. Tom and his team of retired medical, legal, business, and contracting professionals tackle those problems head-on, live on the air. It is, as Tom calls it, “Reality Radio.”
Tom in Television News …
Martino’s impressive career also includes nearly 40-years of television news reporting. Starting his television journey in New York on WRGB-TV, Martino quickly gained recognition for his exceptional reporting skills and dedication to serving the public. His passion for informing and empowering consumers led him to Tampa’s KTVT Pulse13 News, where he continued to excel in his role.
However, it was in Denver where Martino truly solidified his reputation as a trusted consumer advocate. For an astounding 19-years he served as the go-to consumer expert for News4, providing invaluable insights, uncovering scams, and resolving disputes. Later he spent 10-years at Fox-31 News where his continuing advocation made him a household name synonymous with justice for consumers!
From the dawn of the internet and beyond …
Tom Martino is one of the original pioneers of doing business online. Long before Yelp, Angi, or any similar platform existed, Tom launched ReferralList.com — the first website to establish a trusted, vetted network of merchants, contractors, and service professionals. He describes it simply as “Advertising with accountability.”
Unlike directories that accept anyone willing to pay, ReferralList.com enforces a strict code of ethics and conducts extensive background checks on every member. If a business fails to deliver, they’re off the list. Period.
On the flip side, Tom created SleazeBrigade.com — the antithesis of his Referral List. This platform names people and businesses consumers should avoid: those who have been caught in dishonest practices, scams, or outright fraud. It is an unapologetic public warning system.
Other Professional Activities …
Consulting
With a career built on listening to — and solving — consumer problems, Tom has become a sought-after business consultant in the field of customer service and consumer relations. No one has spoken directly with as many consumers as Tom has over the past 50+ years. That depth of real-world experience makes him a uniquely valuable resource for companies looking to improve how they handle customer issues, resolve complaints, and build lasting trust.
Marketing
Tom’s deep understanding of the consumer psyche — what people fear, what they trust, and what compels them to act — translates directly into powerful marketing strategy. He helps businesses develop advertising and communication approaches that go beyond lead generation to build genuine, long-term customer loyalty.
Investment Management
Decades of exposing investment scams gave Tom an unusually sharp eye for what’s real and what’s not in the financial world. That expertise evolved into a deeper pursuit of sound investment philosophy, which led him to launch Wave8Capital — a hedge fund designed to provide qualified investors with genuine, hands-on portfolio management.
Tom also discovered a troubling reality about most registered investment advisors: they don’t actually manage their clients’ money. Instead, most operate through TAMP (Turnkey Asset Management Program) arrangements — essentially acting as middlemen who collect commissions while a giant outside firm pools client assets with no personal knowledge of individual goals or circumstances.
That discovery led Tom to build something different: Martino Capital, a registered investment advisor with the Colorado State Securities Commission. Martino Capital provides direct, personalized portfolio management — the kind of service Tom wanted for himself and decided to make available to other like-minded investors.
Beyond the Microphone and Cameras
Aviation
Flying is one of Tom’s deepest passions, and he’s been pursuing it for more than 50 years. A certificated pilot in both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, Tom has logged thousands of hours across cross-country flights, pleasure tours, and charity events.
With thousands of hours logged in the air, Tom has embarked on numerous cross-country treks, pleasure flights, and charity tours. His love for aviation has taken him to new heights, quite literally, as he soars through the skies with grace and precision.
Aircraft Building & Restoration
Tom’s love of aviation extends into the hangar. He has meticulously restored antique aircraft to award-winning condition and took on the remarkable challenge of building his own experimental airplane from scratch — designing, fabricating, and wiring every system himself. That aircraft went on to fly and appear at airshows.
Drums
Tom has played drums most of his life. In college he gave lessons to pay the bills, then went on to perform in multiple bands throughout the northeast and laid drum tracks in professional studio sessions.
Horses
While currently between horses, Tom spent many years on a ranch with his own string of horses. He loves trail riding and holds a special place in his heart for his most beloved equine companion, Teddy — who has since moved on to greener pastures.
Technology
For most people, technology is a necessary evil. For Tom, it’s a playground. He has assembled and wired his own avionics panels, built custom circuitry throughout his home and studio, and uses artificial intelligence to develop sophisticated investment applications for Martino Capital — tools capable of scanning and classifying nearly 20,000 securities for individual investors.
Tom’s Background
Tom Martino’s journalistic career began in 1973 at a small-town newspaper in Catskill, New York. While at the Catskill Daily Mail & Green County News he created one of the first-ever Consumer Action columns, where readers wrote him for consumer help, information, and advice.
On to full time radio …
Martino then moved into radio broadcasting at WHUC Radio in Hudson, New York, where he hosted America’s first consumer call-in show.
Concurrent with his newspaper and radio work, Martino held a position as a TV news contributor for WRGB-TV in Albany, New York.
From New York, Tom moved south to work as a TV reporter at WBBH-TV in Fort Myers, Florida; WTVT-TV in Tampa, Florida; then onto WRAL-TV in Raleigh, North Carolina.
In 1981 Tom moved to Denver to work at KCNC-TV and 850-KOA Radio. In 2000 he moved to Denver’s Fox-31, where he remained until 2010.
Martino also had a long-running column in the former Rocky Mountain News and wrote independently for several national magazines.
In the late 90’s Tom’s radio show became nationally syndicated for several years on more than 300 radio stations from coast to coast. His affiliates included 77-WABC Radio in New York City.
He currently hosts the longest running radio show in America on Denver’s 630-KHOW and affiliates, airing weekdays from 10am to 2pm (mountain time)