I don't get why PWM wouldn't work? Would the harmonics make the tuner ignore the signal?
Because the speaker is still slow, so if it got to it, there should be audio, but maybe the circuit filters out the PWM signal outright?
https://vanhunteradams.com/Pico/AM_Radio/AM.html
https://vanhunteradams.com/Pico/AM_Radio/AM.html