Extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements ofCo78Cr22, Co86Cr12Ta2,andCo86Cr12Pt2films were made to investigate the local structure and chemistry around Ta and Pt atoms to determine their site distributions in these alloys. Comparisons between the measured data and data collected from experimental standards and calculated using theoretical EXAFS simulation codes indicate that the Ta atoms are preferentially distributed to the Cr-enriched regions of the CoCr media, and the Pt atoms have an effect on the local environment of the Co atoms. Both Ta and Pt introduce a large amount of local structural disorder to the local environments in which they reside. The presence of Ta atoms in the Cr-enriched regions further reduces the magnetization of these regions, which enhances the magnetic isolation of the Co regions from each other. This helps improve the noise characteristics of the films. The portion of the Pt atoms residing in the Co-enriched regions increases the magnetic anisotropy of the films, thereby increasing their coercivity. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.