Disclosed herein are methods and systems for implementing a self-managed control channel. A mobile radio is a member of a talkgroup. The mobile radio has first and second receivers, and a preconfigured channel list that includes a control channel and multiple voice channels. The mobile radio monitors which voice channels are busy, and monitors the control channel using the first receiver. The mobile radio detects a session-start event. If that event is a session-start command, the mobile radio selects an idle voice channel and transmits, via the control channel, a session-start notification identifying the talkgroup and specifying the selected voice channel. If that event is receipt, via the control channel, of a session-start notification identifying the talkgroup and specifying a voice channel, the mobile radio determines whether the second receiver is tuned to that voice channel and, if not, tunes the second receiver to that voice channel.