A method is provided for estimating channel state information in an in-band on-channel radio signal including a plurality of digitally modulated reference subcarriers. The method includes: receiving symbols transmitted on the reference subcarriers; combining the reference subcarrier symbols with a known reference sequence conjugate to produce a plurality of samples; median filtering the samples to produce filtered samples; smoothing the samples for each of the reference subcarriers over the plurality of reference subcarriers to produce a complex channel gain estimate for each of the subcarriers; and using a bias correction function to compensate for estimation bias error in the complex channel gain estimate due to the median filtering. Receivers that implement the method are also provided.