referring to drawing fig1 , and in accordance with a preferred constructed embodiment of the instant invention , a system 10 for broadcasting audio announcements comprises an announcement system database server 20 for assembling and storing announcements to be broadcast to at least one speaker 22 or other audio reproduction device . a plurality of speakers 22 can be placed throughout a facility in order to broadcast messages to a plurality of discrete locations or rooms , as is well known to one of ordinary skill in the art . while the examples referred to throughout this specification will be tailored to the use of the present invention in an airport environment , one of ordinary skill will recognize that the present invention may be practiced wherever it is desirable to broadcast audio announcements . a plurality of operator workstations 30 are electrically connected to the database server 20 via a communications network 32 , for example an ethernet network or any one of a wide variety of commercially available communications networks . the workstations 30 may comprise a conventional personal computer having a microprocessor , a memory , a visual display , and an operator interface , or a plurality thereof such as a keyboard and a mouse . the workstations 30 are capable of running conventional web - based browser software such as internet explorer ® or a similar program . the present invention 10 is intended for use in a web browser environment , for example , running on a standard microsoft windows ® equipped workstation 30 . the database server 20 includes an audio message output 24 , typically a conventional audio line out , that is provided to a commercially available audio controller 40 , for example an acs system or ied 8000 system , both available from innovative electronic designs , inc . of louisville , ky . the audio controller 40 provides a plurality of audio output signals 42 representative of the audio broadcast messages to the plurality of speakers 22 . furthermore , the database server 20 has an xml output 26 that permits xml ( extensible markup language ) data to be transmitted out to alternative display devices 28 , for example a visual display or a plurality thereof . this feature of the present invention permits an audio announcement to be converted to a concomitant video announcement that is transmitted for display to a video system . furthermore , the use of an xml output enables the receiving device to simply display the output provided , without additional processing , since the output format is included in the xml file . the present invention 10 provides a web - based graphical user interface ( gui ) on the plurality of workstations 30 . the database server 20 employs a relational database structure for all data tables stored therein to provide for compatibility with a wide variety of legacy systems . authorized users or “ operators ” located at the workstations 30 login to the courtesy announcement system with a username and password . now referring to the flow chart of fig2 a and 2 b , an operator , who may be one of many operators , receives a call 212 which can come from a variety of sources , including , but not limited to , airport patrons or airport employees . the calls can be requests for new announcements 214 , requests to replay announcements 216 that have already been processed and broadcast , or requests to pick up an announced message 222 . other calls 260 are outside the scope of this system 10 . when a new announcement 214 has been , requested , the operator will access the appropriate icon for a “ new announcement ” from the gui , and obtain information from the caller 218 , such as , but not limited to , the name of the caller , the name of the recipient of the message , and the message to be broadcast . the gui provides an announcement template dialog box that permits an operator to construct the message to be broadcast . the operator will select , from a pull down menu , the type of courtesy announcement 220 from a plurality of announcement templates , including , but not limited to , “ pickup a courtesy phone ,” “ item left at security ,” “ meet your party ,” “ standby passenger see agent ,” or other individually created announcements templates as defined or written by the system administrator or head operator . once an announcement template is selected 220 , the gui then permits the operator to select the announcement content 224 associated with the particular type of courtesy announcement 220 including the person leaving the message and the message which will be read to the person paged , and / or modify variables within the selected template . examples of variables that may be modified include : name of recipient , mr ./ mrs ./ dr ., name of originator , airline , gate , urgency level , type of item left , or location to meet a party . if applicable , the operator can quickly select items left at a security checkpoint or elsewhere , including , but not limited to , a briefcase , a cell phone , a wallet , a set of keys , a purse , a carry - on bag , a jacket , a child , a laptop computer , and / or a backpack . this enables a plurality of different message types to be quickly assembled . also , the variables are pre - translated into languages that can be selected by the operator . the operator will also fill in optional announcement delivery settings 226 , including , but not limited to , the “ destination ” of the announcement , frequency of play , the length of time between plays , start time for plays , languages , and when the messages are to be played . also , other variables may be added to the announcement templates as needed by an operator . for example , in a hospital announcement setting , the various broadcast zones may include emergency rooms , intensive care units , waiting rooms , etc ., while message recipients may include a doctor , nurse , orderly , etc . again , the variables are pre - translated into languages that can be selected by the operator . furthermore , the present invention permits the user to construct additional announcement templates via a template management dialogue box when necessary to address recurring announcement requirements . for example , an operator may realize that they are creating multiple messages requesting passengers to report to the baggage claim area and simply construct a template including the message : “ will [ name ] please report to the baggage claim area .” this feature of the present invention provides great flexibility for using the system in a wide variety of applications . after the announcement template , message for recipient , and announcement settings are completed , the operator then selects for the announcement type 228 to record and read the announcement or to use the automatic text - to - speech feature . the operator can click the “ record voice announcement ” icon and vocally ( i . e ., verbally ) record the audio message 230 by reading the text message back into a microphone that is electrically connected to a suitable audio input on the workstation 30 . the message may be recorded in any language or languages necessary , given the convention at the broadcast location . the operator can then optionally choose to re - record 232 the audio message , and then play the message 234 to be broadcast . the recorded audio message 230 and announcement can be entered , assembled and saved ( i . e ., recorded ) as an audio file for later broadcast . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , instead of voice - recording an announcement 230 , the operator may type specific message text into the message dialog box then click 240 the “ text - to - speech announcement ” icon , whereupon the workstation launches a commercially available text to speech ( tts ) converter program to transform the typed message into an audio message constructed by the tts program . the operator will be able to preview the announcement in another web - based dialogue box in one or more languages prior to “ sending ” the message . a wide variety of commercially available text to speech converters may be employed in this embodiment of the invention , as is well known to one of ordinary skill in the art . the tts tasks are handled within the database server 20 . this embodiment of the present invention is particularly advantageous for applications where multiple languages are used , for example international airports , since the tts converter obviates the need for an operator who is proficient in each language required . furthermore , the announcement templates may contain commonly used phrases in multiple languages where necessary . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that virtually any language may be used with the system of the present invention . the present invention includes features that store records of each announcement message created by the operators on the announcement system database server 20 . this announcement log 236 permits a master operator or supervisor to review the message log to determine a plurality of message variables , including , but not limited to , the operator who created the message , the operator who delivered the message , the name of the person requesting the message , the time the message was requested , the message content , recipient , the date and times the announcement was broadcast , the total number of times broadcast , the areas or broadcast zones to which the message was sent , the status of the announcements , any private message to be delivered to the recipient , and the urgency of the message . this feature of the present invention is advantageous when message recipients miss a broadcast announcement , when a requester calls to make sure the message was broadcast , or when the intended recipient calls in to retrieve his message . the supervisor can simply peruse the message log using a workstation 30 to determine all of the recorded parameters for each message created by the system of the present invention . this feature also allows the master operator or supervisor to print an announcement and all its associated information . finally , the information from the audio recorded 230 and / or tts announcements 240 can then be saved ( i . e ., stored ) 236 in the announcement database server 20 and then broadcast ( i . e ., played or announced ) 238 the selected number of times ( as chosen in the announcement delivery settings 226 ) or until the message has been delivered to the intended recipient . the visual and audio ( either voice recorded or the tts announcement ) broadcast can be seen and / or heard at appropriate locations selected by the operator when choosing the delivery settings 226 . the visual and audio broadcasts occur simultaneously and are preferably synchronized . in other words , the scrolling speed of the visual broadcast is adjusted automatically based on the audio length of the message . the present invention also includes a “ bad language ” warning filter feature that notifies an operator prior to the operator broadcasting a message including any improper language . a dictionary of curse , slang and gag words and phrases ( in all necessary languages ) is provided in the database server 20 . once the message is created ( or even during message creation ) the system scans the entered text and compares it to the slang dictionary and provides a visual and / or audible alert to the operator when a match is found . the operator may not be permitted to proceed with recording or converting the message ( in tts systems ) when a match exists . furthermore , whenever a match is found , the system logs the message for future reference . the filter of the present invention scans for single words and combinations , such as the first and last name combined of a message recipient , or any other two ( or more ) variables that are adjacent one another in the selected message template . the present invention also provides an easy interface for accessing the text - to - speech engine &# 39 ; s pronunciation dictionary . the pronunciation allows for exact phonetic description of how to pronounce commonly occurring words and abbreviations as they pertain to the particular installation and locale ( e . g ., whether “ dr .” should be pronounced as drive or doctor ). since the specifics of these dictionaries may vary from product to product , a common and easy interface for the system user is desirable . the present invention also has the capability to provide announcement batching wherein all names of individuals for which the same type of message is waiting to be broadcast are combined into one announcement once the message begins to be repeatedly broadcast . for example , where the batched message to be broadcast is “ paging ( name ), please pick up a white courtesy phone ,” a plurality of names can be placed together in the message and simply broadcast together : “ paging john smith , bill jones , and michael jordan , please pick up a white courtesy phone .” whether a specific message can be included in a batched play broadcast is selectable by the operator via a pull down menu or button in the announcement template window . where this feature is not selected , the announcement will not be batched . the first time an announcement is played it will preferably be broadcast un - batched , i . e ., by itself . immediately after the operator completes the message and presses a save or send button , the message plays by itself ( provided a delayed broadcast time has not been selected in the template ). this feature of the present invention permits operators the aural feedback that an announcement is being properly broadcast throughout the system . for any future repeats of this announcement ( again , where selected in the announcement template ) the system of the present invention adds the announcement recipient &# 39 ; s name to a batch list for that batch announcement , along with the number of times that specific recipient should be included in the batch message broadcast , before being dropped off the batch list . a “ current announcement ” feature can also be used to retrieve announcements for replay 216 or to deliver a private message to the recipient when he calls in to the call center to pick up a message 222 . because all messages are stored on the common database server 20 , any operator can deliver the private message , not just the operator who took the original request call . a list of current ( i . e ., pending ) announcements includes the name of the intended message recipient , when the message transmission started , the template for the intended recipient , and the status of the message broadcast ( e . g ., waiting , active , completed , or failed ). if a call comes in for a request for a particular announcement to be replayed 216 , the operator locates 242 the relevant announcement that had been entered into the announcement system database server 20 from the list of current announcements . the operator locates ( i . e ., accesses ) 242 the appropriate current announcement associated with the previously entered announcement and change the announcement settings 244 , if requested . for example , a call may come in from an airport employee requesting an announcement be replayed that john doe forgot his cell phone at a security checkpoint . the airport employee may learn from an unspecified source that the recipient of the message is actually french and understands little english . the operator can then replay 246 the announcement with new announcement settings which include a broadcast in french . the operator will then select the replay option 246 so that the message will be broadcast again , but this time in french . as another example , the airport employee may learn that the recipient of the message actually forgot his laptop computer . the operator can then select the replay announcement option 246 with new announcement settings which makes a broadcast including the laptop computer . the edited play information is saved 236 in the announcement system 20 database server and then broadcast 238 . a call may come also in from the intended recipient of a broadcasted announcement to actually pick up 222 his message that has already been stored in the list of current announcements in the announcement system database server 20 . the operator will obtain information from the caller ( i . e ., the intended recipient ), such as his name , in order to access the appropriate announcement 250 intended for the caller from the list of current announcements in the announcement system database server 20 . after the operator locates 252 the message intended for the caller , the operator will then transmit ( e . g ., read ) 254 the message to the caller , which is , again , located in the gui dialog box . again , the operator that transmits the information to the caller need not be the same operator that entered the information into the new announcement template , and thus into the announcement system database server 20 . after the caller retrieves his message , the operator can then mark the message as being delivered 256 , the status of that particular message will change , and the change will be marked as completed in the current announcements dialogue box . the foregoing detailed description of the preferred embodiments is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . since the instant invention is susceptible to numerous changes and modifications by those of ordinary skill in the art , the invention is not limited to the exact construction and operation shown and described , and accordingly , all such suitable changes or modifications in structure or operation which may be resorted to are intended to fall within the scope of the claimed invention .