A podcast requires thousands of pieces of fragile infrastructure between the sender and receiver.

Radio can send signals between continents with zero infrastructure between the sender and receiver.

Radio has an almost orthogonally inverse set of failure modes than internet streaming.

Internet.connection (∴ tracking) not required

AM signals have a far reach and are often used for road and emergency updates.

They live in different layers of "medium". This is like asking "What does piping do that juice doesn't?", they're not mutually exclusive.

Work without internet infrastructure

AM is critical for emergency scenarios. When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, all our infrastructure was completely devastated.

The only way to receive news or bulletins for weeks was just one remaining AM radio station that kept broadcasting even as the storm hit and their building began to flood.

It's not just the medium. Streaming from the internet is a totally different product than radio. There's no reason we can't have both.

Emergency broadcast is a big one, as well as location-specific information like road conditions.

>why is the medium relevant at all? what does radio do that a podcast cant

Deliver the news to you anywhere and everywhere with a receiver that can be built from scavenged garbage. Terrestrial absolutely still has a place, and will most likely outlive the internet.

what does a movie theater screen do that a phone screen can’t?

Count how many subscriptions are between you and that podcast.

It's literally absurdity that you even wrote this at all.