Radio Protein Fan

According to internet lore, Google thinks this sticker says "Radio Protein Fan."  Whomever got that answer from Google translate turned it into a meme. The text is Japanese. The radio is a Sony ICR-4800. I just saw one go on email for about $100. If that seems steep for a Shortwave / Medium wave receiver you're right. They used to list around $30 to $50 bucks. This might be meme-based inflation. So let's explore that meme. There aren't a lot of radio memes. 

The text reads "ラジオたんぱ推薦" in romanized Japanese that's  "Rajio Tanpa Suisen." The word Suisen means is recommended or endorsed. So the text reads Recommended by Radio Tanpa. That station is also called Radio Nikkei. As a media group, Nikkei is active in newspaper publishing, television, online news radio. More here. 

Radio Nikkei's roots run deep. The parent company can trace it's origin to a the Chugai Bukka Shimpo This grew into the "The Nikkei" the premier business newspaper of Japan. Today it broadcasts on 6.055 MH and it's sister station Radio Nikkei 2 on 6.115 MHz.

Radio Nikkei is a shortwave station in Japan founded in 1954, as you would imagine almost all programming is in Japanese. Back in the 1950s, it was called the Nihon Shortwave Broadcasting Co., or  NSB. (hence that image above) That name was still appearing in Shortwave guides as late as 1980. A 1968 Area Handbook for Japan by Frederic Chaffee briefly described the programming in that era:

"...and the Nihon Broadcasting Company, which has one shortwave station in Tokyo and another in Sapporo offering news, weather, and music for Japan's neighbors, the fishing fleet at sea, and a small domestic audience interested in shortwave listening."

It's supposed to be targeted a demographic of middle-aged businessmen. If you were imagining that the US equivalent is Bloomberg Radio you'd be way off.  Today the programming of Radio Nikkei is an inexplicable mix of poetry, jazz, dance music, news, horse racing coverage and both western and Japanese pop music. You can read the schedule here.