Radio issues

So like many of us, I didn't like the antenna on the car. However, I decided to remove it from the base all together. The 2 times I've tried to put it back in place to listen to the radio, I couldn't get any reception. My antenna does not seem bent nor is it loose when I re-install it. I'm thinking I just need to buy a shorty, but what if that isn't the case? I think of the 43000 miles the car has on it, the antenna has been on for maybe 2000 of them. Could that have been an issue as well?