The wireless CDMA system includes a base station which generates a configuration channel as one of the forward control channels. The message slots in the configuration channel only include overhead messages. The base station also generates at least one other forward control channel, but these other forward control channels do not need to include overhead messages in any of their message slots. The mobiles in the system determine the location of the configuration channel from information in a sync channel generated by the base station. By camping onto the configuration channel, a mobile can quickly obtain the overhead parameters in the overhead messages. Because obtaining overhead parameters and keeping an updated version of the overhead parameters is an important factor in overall performance, the significant decrease in overhead message access time provided by the provision of the configuration channel greatly improves performance.