AM RAdio also has the advantage of numerous AM recievers widely available. Good for mass communication over high population areas - particully in times of emergency. AM uses less complex systems to transmitt and recieve compared to other modulation methods, example FM. Transmission via internet tends to be much more fragile and breakable. I could easily build a simple (limited) radio, Crystal set in about a hour that would work in strong AM signal areas like in most cities or up to 50 milies away. AM radio also has range measure in hundreds of miles, much greater at night... Removing AM radios from Cars is alll about savig a few $ , probably like $20 for can makers.

You're making an apples to oranges comparison. If you can send a signal via a radio between continents, one can send a podcast using that signal with zero infrastructure between the sender and the receiver.