There are a lot more steps than people think.
The anchor speaks
The equipment at the newsroom digitizes the signal.
The signal goes through cables to the satellite link.
The link compresses the signal and sends it to the satellite.
The satellite amplifies the signal and sends it to the downlink.
The downlink sends it (probably by microwave or cable) to the reporter’s remote location.
The location equipment decodes the signal and turns it into analog to send to the reporter’s earpiece.
It’s not just the distances involved, it’s the numerous coding and decoding, and the buffering that goes with it.