In an embodiment method, a first central controller of a wireless system selects a first common reference signal (“CRS”) pattern for muting on a first type of control channel by the first central controller, wherein the first type of control channel is formed with resource elements (“REs”), and selects a second CRS pattern for muting on a first data channel by the first central controller, where the first CRS pattern and the second CRS pattern are separately configured. The central controller identifies a set of subframes including the first type of control channel, where the set of subframes has REs that overlap the first CRS pattern for muting, and mutes the overlapping REs in the first type of control channel when the set of subframes are not multicast broadcast single frequency network subframes, and frequency-division multiplexes the first type of control channel with the first data channel.