NBC is set to announce Thursday that it will be relocating its longtime Burbank studios to the NBC/Universal property in Universal City by 2011, sources said late Wednesday.

The L.A. Mayor’s office acknowledged the move but declined to provide any further details until a news conference scheduled for Thursday. Burbank and NBC officials could not be reached for comment.

Burbank has been home to NBC Studios since 1962; the studios achieved national notoriety with frequent references by former “Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson. Since General Electric Co. acquired NBC in 1985, some of the operations once housed at the studios have been transferred to the NBC/Universal property in Universal City.

NBC/Universal last winter announced a $3 billion expansion of its Universal City property, including the construction of 2,900 apartments, lofts and condominiums; additional office space; and an upgrade of its studio and entertainment facilities. The proposal is currently working its way through the city entitlement process.

If General Electric/NBC Universal were to dispose of the Burbank studios it would likely have a variety of takers. The Burbank Media District in which the property is located is a red-hot office submarket.

NBC Studios could opt to lease out the space. As of the third quarter, the vacancy rate for Class A space in Burbank was 3.4 percent, according to Grubb & Ellis Co. That’s down from 4.2 percent a year ago. What’s more, real estate industry experts said that the vacancy rate in the media district is 3 percent.

NBC Studios also could also be sold and likely for a pretty penny. There have been significant studio sales this year that could serve as benchmarks for the possible sale of the television studio. Private equity firm Carlyle Group paid $150 million for Manhattan Beach Studios in a deal that closed in mid-June. In July the Business Journal reported that local real estate firm Hudson Capital LLC had agreed to pay about $205 million for Sunset Gower Studios.