A magnetic recording medium deposited on glass and having an orientation ratio greater than one is disclosed. The magnetic recording medium includes a CoW seedlayer deposited on a circumferentially textured glass substrate. The magnetic recording medium with such a seedlayer can have an OR that is similar or higher than that with a NiP seedlayer. Magnetic recording medium with a CoW seedlayer can produce oriented glass media with orientation ratio OR>1 when sputtered on substrates which have been circumferentially textured before the deposition of the CoW seedlayer. The W content of the CoW seedlayer can range between 30-50 at %. The thickness of the CoW seedlayer can range between 10 .ANG. and 200 .ANG.. The method for sputter depositing the magnetic recording medium is also disclosed and includes sputter depositing the CoW seedlayer using pure Ar as sputtering gas or using a mixture of Ar and O.sub.2, H.sub.2O and N.sub.2 as sputtering gas.