Lee Enterprises, credited as the fourth-largest newspaper publisher in the US, isn’t taking the approaches of Alden Global Capital lying down… but it could be a long fight.

Poynter’s Rick Edmonds says rejection of Alden’s bid for three board seats is “one more signal” that Lee is digging in for a protracted fight against the prospect of a hostile takeover.

Lee is the guardian of 77 daily newspapers including 30 acquired from Warren Buffett’s BH Media last year. It also owns news publishing software developer TownNews.

Alden came in at the last moment, nominating three board directors to Lee on deadline, a week ago, with Lee initially claiming the nominations did not meet company rules.

It has already established a ‘poison pill’ shareholder’s rights plan, in a bid to stop Alden – which owns six per cent of Lee with related companies – increasing its shareholding beyond ten per cent within the next year.

Poynter says Lee management, together with union chapters at its sites, have argued that it is “making progress on its own” and will best serve communities by staying on that course.

It adds that both Alden and Lee are “lawyered up” and have hired transaction and financial public relations advisers.

Pictured: Lee Enterprises offices in Davenport, Iowa (photo Wikipedia/Farragutful)