Tom Martino

Tom Martino
Tom Martino in Studio
Born	Thomas Gerard Martino 1953
Residence	Denver, Colorado, US
Occupation	Broadcast Artist "The Troubleshooter Show"
Years active	1974–present
Spouse(s)	N/A
Website	referrallist.com

Thomas Gerard "Tom" Martino (born 1953) is a consumer advocate and American talk radio host. He is also known as "The Troubleshooter". His nationally syndicated show "The Troubleshooter Show" airs from KHOW, based in Denver, Colorado. His show format focuses on callers who give him specific complaints about businesses; ask general consumer oriented questions; or have various problems they need help solving. He also provides business and consumer advice to listeners. Martino investigates the complaints by contacting the other party in disputes when possible; he then gives advice and solicits comments from callers. The show began more than 38 years ago and was syndicated nationally around 2001. Martino says that over the years, he has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in cash, merchandise, and services for consumers who contact him.

Martino's career began at the Catskill Daily Mail, a newspaper in his native New York, where he wrote a consumer-oriented column. In 1976, he began working in radio and television. He continued to write columns for the Rocky Mountain News, but now writes columns only for his own website.

Martino brought his consumer advocacy to television, first at several stations in the Eastern United States. In Denver, he spent 18 years at CBS station KCNC. His most recent television position was with Fox Broadcasting Company affiliate KDVR in Denver, which dropped his show from the schedule in 2011.

Martino is known for his bold style. If he believes a businessperson is acting unethically, he does not hesitate to call that person a liar or a cheat on air. If he believes a business is failing to respond to his investigation, he sometimes broadcasts the business’s phone number and encourages listeners to contact the business.

He is also known for letting consumers know when they are in the wrong and aids them in rectifying the situation and avoiding it in the future.

On April 24, 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued an opinion affirming the dismissal of a libel suit brought against Martino by an Oregon watercraft dealer. A customer of the dealer had called Martino's show to describe the problems she had with a personal watercraft that she bought from the dealer, and in the course of the on-the-air conversation, Martino said "they're just lying to you." The dealer sued Martino for libel and interference with business relations. The federal district court in Portland granted Martino's anti-SLAPP motion, dismissed the dealer's case, and awarded attorney fees to Martino against the dealer. The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court, saying that Martino's statement was a statement of opinion protected by the First Amendment. Gardner v. Martino, Ninth Circuit No. 06-35437 (April 24, 2009).